Tag Archives: Juno Beach
The Longest Day Revisited
I was planning on a reflective piece today, to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the Normandy landings in the Second World War. I was going to reflect on my childhood, watch the veterans of the Great War age. Now, the youngest those who fought in that second global conflict are almost a century old. Soon […]
Can’t Say It Now
Politicians today are subject to far more constraints than those of previous generations. People are quick to take offense, and God help you if you say something that doesn’t flow with the prevailing winds of society. It wasn’t always so though, as I was reminded on a visit to France in 2014. The words jumped […]
A D-Day Anniversay
Today is the 79th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France, the first step in liberating occupied Europe from Nazi domination. I thought it might be appropriate to repeat this post from 2014. They knew it was coming. Not the exact date or time, but there was a sense of inevitability. One day they would […]
The Long Wait
Today is the 78th anniversary of D-Day, the start of the battle to retake Europe from the Nazis. It seems appropriate to revisit one of my first posts, written at the site and posted in 2014. Today is also, barring unforseen circumstances, the last day of my trip I am looking forward to being back […]
Remembering The Battle
It has been 75 years since D-Day, and the generation that fought that battle is almost gone. This week though, we have been remembering a pivotal moment in world history with a series of posts I write five years ago. When we visited the Juno Beach Centre I came away with a feeling of not […]
Still Politically Incorrect
This week, to share in the observance of the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Allied invasion or Normandy, I am repeating some posts from my visit there five years ago, The words jumped out from the printed page in the display case at the Juno Beach Centre, the Canadian D-Day Museum in Courseilles sur […]
Walking Along Juno Beach
With the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings tomorrow, we continue our reflections with a post from 2014. It’s peaceful on Juno Beach on a sunny July afternoon. A few tourists, a few locals getting some sun; if I had been thinking I would have taken off my shoes and socks and dipped my toes […]
Facing The Storm
I just realized that the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Normandy landings is this week. I found visiting the landing sites, which I did in 2014, to be an incredibly moving experience. It was on that trip that I decided to share my thoughts regularly in this space. For the next couple of days, […]
Le Grand Charlie
There were a few mentions in the newspaper this past week about it being the 50th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle’s infamous proclamation of “Vive le Quebec libre!” (That’s long live a free Quebec for those of you who don’t speak French.) I didn’t read the articles – I remember 1967 and the furor over […]
Waiting On Juno Beach
I am away until the end of May. Until I get back I am re-posting some favourites so you don’t miss me too much. They knew it was coming. Not the exact date or time, but there was a sense of inevitability. One day they would look out of the bunker and the English Channel […]
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