OTTAWA — The sky was overcast but the sea was calm as a dark green amphibious vehicle rose up out of the gentle waves in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France, on Monday afternoon.
On board the restored Second World War-era vehicle, Jim Parks watched the shoreline of Juno Beach approach just as he did on June 6, 1944, as a 19-year-old member of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
Parks is among a dwindling group of Second World War veterans returning to the French shore where they made that fateful landing on D-Day 80 years ago.June 6 marked the beginning of the bloody 77-day Battle of Normandy and the start of the Allied liberation of France. "There were a number of different operations put forward, suggestions of what they could do to open up this western front, which were all rejected," she said.
The region's cemeteries are also the final resting place for more than 5,000 Canadians, including 359 who were killed on D-Day."It's the operation that starts to give the Allies hope," Thomas said. They arrived at the airport with almost no fanfare Monday morning, where a group of French firefighters took it upon themselves to form an impromptu honour guard as the veterans' wheelchairs were brought inside.
The Juno Beach Centre, which is now more than 20 years old, is a permanent memorial in France to the Canadians who served in the Second World War. It will also be the site of this year’s national commemorative ceremony Thursday morning.
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