Cadets step back in time

Above: Cadet Chief Warrant Officer Kristan Chung (right) of the British Columbia Regiment lays a wreath at the cenotaph in the Canadian Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. Attending the ceremony are, from left: Captain Leah Yauck, C/MCpl Roger Mak, C/Sgt Holly Johnson, C/Sgt Sharon Wong and C/MWO Richard Vo.
Wayne Emde

For five Vancouver cadets from 2290 RCACC (British Columbia Regiment), a tour that combined the battlefields of the First World War with the events of the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day landings proved to be moving and memorable.

During the first week of June, after tourist stops and museum visits in London and Paris, Captain Leah Yauck and cadets Kristan Chung, Rich Vo, Holly Johnson, Sharon Wong and Roger Mak travelled to Normandy, France.

Their first stop was Pointe du Hoc on the coast of Normandy, where, during D Day, the United States Army Ranger Assault Group assaulted and captured the area from the Germans after scaling the cliffs.

“We were rendered speechless after learning of the carnage and battlements, which were so visible and oppressive,” said Capt Yauck.

They were surprised to see the numbers of re-enactors at the site; French citizens who dressed in vintage American army uniforms driving restored vintage jeeps, trucks, and motorcycles.

Their second stop was Arromanche, which was established as an artificial temporary harbour to allow the unloading of heavy equipment during the Second World War. The town is home to the Arromanche D Day museum.

“We stood at the monument there and tried to imagine what it looked like 70 years ago,” she said.

On June 5, the group travelled to Honfleur, where they toured the oldest wooden church in France, and then the ancient harbour surrounded by tall, narrow buildings.

After an emotional stop at the Ardenne Abbey, the location where Canadian prisoners were murdered by members of the 12 SS Panzer Division, the group moved to the Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-Sur-Mer. 

They joined a number of dignitaries including Major General Rohmer and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to commemorate fallen Canadian soldiers in the Canadian War Memorial.

The cadets joined over 1,300 other cadets and students from around Canada in a three kilometre silent march along Juno Beach. This concluded at the Juno Beach Center with Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and veterans to commemorate D Day. 

The final days of the trip ended in Belgium with visits to Maenin Gate and the Flanders Fields museum, as well as John McCraes field Hospital and adjoining cemetery.

Wayne Emde and Capt Leah Yauck, 2290 RCACC (B.C.R.)

Above: Cadet Chief Warrant Officer Kristan Chung (right) of the British Columbia Regiment lays a wreath at the cenotaph in the Canadian Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. Attending the ceremony are, from left: Captain Leah Yauck, C/MCpl Roger Mak, C/Sgt Holly Johnson, C/Sgt Sharon Wong and C/MWO Richard Vo.
Wayne Emde