Meach Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Could we all please take a moment and reflect on the fallen, the hurt and those who were never taken home in the D-Day landings. I am sure that all nationalities and creeds can bow there heads and pay respects to all involved in such a horrific battle. Thanks in advance. Meach. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Juno Beach Centre opens officially tomorrow morning; I'll hopefully have some photos of the ceremony here in Calgary. Hopefully one of you at least will be in Normandy for the real thing? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow 1st Hussars Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Originally posted by Michael Dorosh: Hopefully one of you at least will be in Normandy for the real thing? I wish I could, however my annual review is on Sat. I do plan on going sometime in the next year or so. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidewinder Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 There is a juno beach center opening? In Calgary? Could you give me some more info please (where, etc) Thanks 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Rommel Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Here is a little more info JEAN BLOUIN/ARMY PUBLIC AFFAIRS The Juno Beach Centre in courseulles-sur-Mer, France, will be officially opened tomorrow. Canadians stormed the beach in 1944. D-Day memorial stands tall Canadian vets make trek to Normandy Juno Beach Centre honours sacrifices LES WHITTINGTON OTTAWA BUREAU COURSEULLES-SUR-MER, France—Red and white Maple Leaf flags line the road that leads through this quiet French fishing port down to the beach where 21,000 Canadians fought their way ashore on D-Day, 59 years ago tomorrow. For decades, the strip of sand on the Atlantic — code-named Juno Beach — where many Canadians died in the face of enemy fire in 1944 has been too little remarked. But tomorrow more than 700 of Canada's veterans and thousands of French residents will join Prime Minister Jean Chrétien for the official opening of a long-awaited memorial in Normandy. Under leaden skies yesterday, workers were urgently laying out rows of wooden benches for the ceremony and putting the final touches on the new Juno Beach Centre in preparation for the veterans' arrival. Built at a cost of $10.1 million, the centre is an abstract, jutting metal and glass structure in the configuration of a Maple Leaf overlooking the invasion beach. In front of it stands a stark, 2.4-metre high bronze sculpture entitled Remembrance and Renewal. "This is for all Europe to see and remind them that we, as volunteers, came here to help restore their freedom," said Ted Davie, a director of the Juno Beach Centre Association and the man in charge of tomorrow's event. "And this is for our people, when they come to France now, to have a focal point and to be sure that the people of Canada will not forget what they did." But the 1,350-square-foot centre is not just a monument to one battle. It has been designed as a living testimony to the sacrifices made by all Canadians — on the battlefront and the home front — during World War II. The exhibits contained in the centre include displays on life in Canada in the 1930s and the rapid changes faced by Canadians in the early years of the war, as well as accounts of the main Canadian military campaigns in Europe. There is also a short film on the Canadian D-Day landing at Juno Beach. "We wanted to build a centre here with the idea of remembering the army, navy, air force, merchant navy and the home front ... for all six years of our involvement in the war," said Davie, a retired navy veteran who lives near Kingston. "The veterans have waited 59 years for people to recognize what they did in World War II and not enough has been done up until now." CBC Newsworld will broadcast live coverage of the centre's opening tomorrow, beginning at 11 a.m. Toronto time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ubique Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 Quite agree today is a day we should be remembering those who fought and died in Normandy 59 years ago. Although I am in France today, I couldn't make it down to Normandy, but I will be there at the end of the month - and hope to visit the new Juno Centre at Courseulles. No doubt will add something to my website about it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Black_Devil Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 A large number of members from my Regiment, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles are in France right now for the opening ceremonies of the Juno Centre. I'm hoping at least a few of them will be bringing back some good pictures. Our Regiment was the first Allied unit in the entire 21st Army Group to reach their D-Day Objectives, so there is a great degree of pride with which I expect to see my Regiment showing its colours. I look forward to seeing members from the Battalion on national television, as well as listening to our Regimental Band, which is always a pleasure. Its a great honour for our troops to be on Juno beach for this special occaision. Personally, I'm hoping to make it to the Juno Centre and Normandy next year for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. There are a great deal of specific Battlefields I'd like to visit, as well as most of the Normandy cemetaries accross all of the Allied beaches. I'd also like to see the monument to the 54 soldiers of my Regiment, executed in captivity by the 12th SS "Hitlerjugend" near Juno Beach. Of course, while in the neighborhood, I'd also like to see the Leapold Cannal, Bastogne and Pegasus Bridge to name but a few of the other key attractions in Northwest Europe I intend to visit. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 Talked to some great vets today here in Calgary (sorry I missed the message above asking for details before it was too late!) A RCEME dude who was in an LAD attached to 3 Cdn Anti-Tank Regiment A gent from the Canadian Scottish Regiment who was wounded in the first 15 minutes of the assault; that was the culmination of two years' training. He never went back into action. A CANLOAN who served with a battalion of KOSB at Arnhem. A Scottish gentlemen who served with a different battalion of KOSB in the 52nd Lowland Division. A Cameron Highlander of Ottawa who served in Canada on Vickers and 4.2 mortars; lied his way in at 15 and got sent back from Europe without seeing action. I'll post a couple pics later. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow 1st Hussars Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 I'm reading two books at the moment, ACTUNG PANZER! by Heinz Guderian and another book called Testaments of Honour. Testaments of Honour is an excellent collection of the individual experiances of Canadian Vets, written by the vets, it focuses on each person individually. Excellent book, I reccomend it highly. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiggDogg Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 Guys, Each and every June 6th, I take a few moments and remember the soldiers on all sides who fought on D-Day and on all of the other days of WWII. Very few people have any idea of the sacrifice of all soldiers. I do do have an idea, and I appreciate the sacrifice of all of those souls no matter on which side they fought. How sad it is that such carnage was and still is being visited upon any human or non human. When will people learn. However, as long as some people want to attack and take from peaceful people, the peaceful must defend themselves. Cheers, Richard 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florian Gross Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 I am just a young boy in your eyes (i'm 24) and i have read a lot about WW2. I'm kinda fascinated with this topic, altough I think it's kinda perverse to be fascinated by war, a cruel and merciless business. I'd still like to give a moment for everybody who fought in WW2, wether german,canadian,british,american or french soldiers they were very brave men caught in a different and difficult time too hard for me to imagine. BUT there are more places to visit in good ol' Europe than just the Memorial Sites. Take a trip through Germany and see it's beauty. Or go to the Netherlands. Not to forget Prague in Tschecheslowakei or Austria. There's more to Europe than you think!!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 This was the ceremony at Market Mall today in Calgary; three of us in uniform with a soldier of the Canadian Scottish Regiment who had landed in the first wave as a Bren Gunner. He was hit in the shoulder and leg by shrapnel within 15 minutes of touching down. Two years of training in Canada and England; 15 minutes on the beach, and his war was over. He never saw action again. Had one gent tell about the tommy gun he mailed home. More inventive than the familiar yarn about mailing guns home; he and a mate apparently stole a postal stamp, and marked their boxes as "inspected" and gave them descriptions like "Cut Glass." Shipped home several German pistols as well. Many interesting stories; wish I could have properly documented them all. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florian Gross Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 Who of them are you Dorosh 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 Originally posted by Florian Gross: Who of them are you Dorosh He's the one on the left with the STEN. Unprepossessing lad, isn't he? You'd hardly take him for a trained killer, now would you? Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 Originally posted by Michael emrys: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Florian Gross: Who of them are you Dorosh He's the one on the left with the STEN. Unprepossessing lad, isn't he? You'd hardly take him for a trained killer, now would you? Michael </font> 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 Don't worry, Michael, I'd never connect your face with an ice cream sundae. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 Originally posted by Michael emrys: Don't worry, Michael, I'd never connect your face with an ice cream sundae. Michael I thought it was one's mouth that is supposed to connect with the ice cream sundae. Could we have found out something about the feeding habits of Grog Dorosh? Inquiring minds want to know. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 I'm not certain that's something we ought to go into—at least not in public. Better left to professionals who are used to that sort of thing. Ugh. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow 1st Hussars Posted June 8, 2003 Share Posted June 8, 2003 Originally posted by Michael Dorosh: *snip* *snip* I see someone parked an Iltis in the mall. *EDIT Didn't even see the guys in the back. I guess CADPAT works in more than just the forest...... [ June 08, 2003, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: Shadow 1st Hussars ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Yes, what a prize Iltis it was too. I couldn't believe they parked the piece of junk for people to come look at; it was the local armoured regiment, incidentally, not us. Not exactly designed to make one beam with pride, is it? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Black_Devil Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Are any of them? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow 1st Hussars Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Originally posted by Michael Dorosh: Yes, what a prize Iltis it was too. I couldn't believe they parked the piece of junk for people to come look at; it was the local armoured regiment, incidentally, not us. Not exactly designed to make one beam with pride, is it? Dear god! That is possibly the most faded paint job I have ever seen. I can't believe the mall management would let them park that in the mall. I guess they don't realize how much oil they leak.... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I couldn't bring myself to photograph the bright red wheel nuts rusted in place, but the large brown splotches on the hood do give an idea of how much corrosion this particular vehicle has suffered. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I guess they thought this one would look like it had been through the wars. What they hadn't counted on was that it would look like that included all of them back to the War of 1812. Michael [ June 09, 2003, 07:23 AM: Message edited by: Michael emrys ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Originally posted by Michael emrys: War of 1812. Michael We needed to find one that Canada won without American help. (shrugs) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.