Strathmore Legion commemorates 80th D-Day anniversary

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Legion hosted a memorial event, June 6, to recognize the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when allied soldiers invaded Normandy in Operation Overlord during WW2. 

“This is a commemoration of a major battle during the war. Some would say it was the beginning of the end of World War II,” said Donovan Arnaud, president of the Strathmore Royal Canadian Legion Branch 10. “The sacrifice that was made back then, many people think of as being singular to that event, when in fact it was much more than that. It has to serve as a reminder to all of us from generation to generation that the reason they went to war and the reason they fought and died that day was because of a threat to their civilization at the time, to their sense of democracy, their values, their principles.”

The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Armoured Brigade were tasked with securing an eight kilometer stretch of beach, nicknamed “Juno” bordering Saint-Aubin, Bernières, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Graye-sur-Mer.

Arnaud added the Legion is dedicated to the remembrance of those who have served and sacrificed, as well as to the memory of veterans who have served in peacetime. 

“I served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 25 years, and I was very fortunate, even though I was a combat seagoing officer, never to have fired a shot in anger. Many cannot say that,” he explained. “We had 40,000 of our troops who went to Afghanistan recently. Many of them were under fire, many of them have lost their lives, and many more of them were injured … we here in the Legion are dedicated to their memory, and to support them as veterans and their families.”

Arnaud explained over a million Canadians served during World War II, equating to nearly 10 per cent of the total population of the country at the time. 

He added attempting to keep records on the exact numbers of people who served and what they did is effectively impossible. He also did not specify exactly how many men from Strathmore specifically went off to serve in the war effort. 

“Those values and principles (they fought for), in my opinion, and in the opinion of many, are just as threatened today. We are not at war per se on a worldwide scale, but we are at war in Europe and thousands of people are dying,” he said. “Many more thousands are being threatened, and being here in Strathmore does not isolate us from that threat. Whatever happens in Europe or in the far east or wherever is going to implicate us in one way or another and God forbid, it should turn into a world war.”

Arnaud described his belief in a responsibility to remember the sacrifices of those who fought and died for the peace of today.