June 6, 2014 marks the 70th anniversary of WWII’s D-Day, the day that the Western Allied forces, which included Canada, landed in Normandy, France to halt the Nazi occupation effort.
To honour Canada’s role, we have designed three D-Day-focused trips, allowing students to discover and experience our nation’s role in preserving the freedom that we enjoy today.
Students from Centre-Dufferin District High School in Shelburne, ON, who have been actively involved in The Juno Beach Centre here in Canada, will be taking the tour, and two students have been invited by the Honourable Julian Fantino and Veterans Affairs Canada, to present the Commitment to Remember on stage during the Canadian celebration at Juno Beach in France, while their classmates look on from a special standing section beside the Veterans.
“I am very excited to be going to France for the 70th annual D-Day celebration in June! Not only am I excited, but honoured that I have the opportunity to attend this celebration. When I first was offered to go on this Europe trip, I was so excited to be going to a different part of the world to see the contributions that many Canadians made. Now that my high school is getting involved with the D-Day celebration, I couldn’t turn the opportunity of a lifetime down. Being at the ceremonies will be a tremendous honour for me, as I have been presented with the opportunity to read the poem The Commitment to Remember in French. I have taken French throughout my high school career, and being able to apply these skills at such an amazing celebration means a lot to me. Many people fought and sacrificed their lives on Juno Beach on D-Day and being able to take part in the celebration of their memories and sacrifice will be a great experience.” —Rebecca Janke
“I was eager to travel to France with my school because other members of my family have gone, and my school has a great tradition of honouring veterans on their annual battlefields tours. However this trip will definitely be one of a kind. I am honoured to have been asked to participate in the 70th D-Day Anniversary Ceremony, which will be a moment in my life that I will certainly never forget. Myself and other students from my school will be joined by a D-Day veteran as we make our way through France and finally onto the Juno Beach. I am very humbled to be able to join in this pilgrimage back to the spot where so many Canadians fought. Preparing for the 70th anniversary has given me a new appreciation of the Canadian heroes, some of whom live quiet lives in our community, and others who made the ultimate sacrifice so that future generations could live in Freedom. I am thankful that we learn about history in school and have opportunities like this year’s Europe trip to experience these places first hand.”—Jeff Allen
Joining the students to provide a first-hand account of the historical event is Mr. Anthony Frances Balch, a Veteran who enlisted at 15 years old and participated in various missions on behalf of the British Royal Navy, and now resides in Ontario with his son.
“This is going to be a unique opportunity to revisit the beach in Juno because I’m going to be in the company of young people who have no knowledge of it, other than what they’ve read or heard or seen, and I hope that I can instill in them the concept of the history of D-Day, whether they go on to consider the morality of war or its place in the overall history of the world, is up to them,” says Balch, “This is a unique opportunity for me to be with them [the students] and to, perhaps, see the Beaches through their eyes as well as through my own.” —Anthony Frances Balch
See what else Mr. Balch had to say:
More information about Mr. Balch can be found on his page on The Memory Project.
In the news:
Students set to travel to Juno Beach with Second World War veteran, CTV News
Canada’s youth ambassadors for D-Day, Orangeville.com
For more information about Explorica D-Day tours contact:
Sonia Reid, Marketing Manager
1.888.378.8845 EXT 240