The Peterborough Examiner e-edition

Veterans of Second World War honoured 79 years after invasion

Tribute remembers those young soldiers who died in Normandy

An overwhelming sound of gunfire and men’s screams. That’s how Second World War veteran Marie Scott described D-Day, as Tuesday’s ceremonies got underway in honour of those who fought for freedom in the largest naval, air and land operation in history.

This year’s tribute to the young soldiers who died in Normandy also reminds veterans, officials and visitors what Ukraine faces today.

On Tuesday, the whistling sound of the wind accompanied many reenactors who came to Omaha Beach at dawn to mark the 79th anniversary of the assault that led to the liberation of France and western Europe from Nazi control. Some brought bunches of flowers; others waved American flags.

Scott lived it all through her ears. She was just 17 when she was posted as communication operator in Portsmouth, England.

Her job was to pass on messages between men on the ground and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and senior officers who were supervising the operation.

“I was in the war. I could hear gunfire, machine-guns, bombing aircraft, men screaming, shouting, men giving orders,” she recalled.

“After a few moments of horror, I realized what was happening … and I thought, ‘Well, you know, there’s no time for horror. You’ve got a job to do. So get on with it.’ Which is what I did.”

Now about to turn 97, Scott said D-Day was a “pivotal point” in her life. “As a non-combatant, I was still in the war and I realized the enormity of war. People were dying in that moment.”

Scott said she was “disgusted” that another war was now raging on the European continent following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“For me, war should only be undertaken if it’s absolutely (necessary), if there’s no other way of solving the problem. It’s an atrocity. That’s how I feel,” she said.

British veteran Mervyn Kersh, who landed on D-Day on Gold Beach, said western allies should send maximum military aid to Ukraine: “The only way to stay free is to be strong.”

Kersh, 98, added with a sense of humour: “I’m still in the reserve, I’m waiting to go to Ukraine now. Next job.”

On Tuesday, a ceremony took place at the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach, which is home to the graves of 9,386 U.S. soldiers, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing are inscribed 1,557 names. Some of those named have since been recovered and identified.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking in front of more than 40 Second World War veterans and a crowd of visitors, said “It is our duty to defend ... the principles for which the Allies fought ... We seek a world where civilians are safe from ravages of a war, (and) sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected.”

Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Mark Milley also took part in the American Cemetery commemoration.

The Normandy celebrations were a chance for Milley to linger with troops who consider him one of their own, as he winds down his own four-decade military career.

“For me, being among soldiers is home,” he said.

In a separate event, French President Emmanuel Macron attended a ceremony on Tuesday in the presence of 100-year-old Leon Gauthier, the last surviving member of the Kieffer commando — an elite French unit that was among the first waves to land in Normandy.

‘‘ I was in the war. I could hear gunfire, machineguns, bombing aircraft, men screaming, shouting, men giving orders.

MARIE SCOTT SECOND WORLD WAR VETERAN

CANADA & WORLD

en-ca

2023-06-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thepeterboroughexaminer.pressreader.com/article/281685439241187

Toronto Star Newspapers Limited