Vanguard Magazine

Buster Rogers had just placed a wreath at the headstone of a Canadian World War II Veteran 28 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com v vImY rIdge and least known spots where events of The First and Second World Wars unfolded. Over 15 days, pilgrims re-live the horror of the trenches of The First World War and the terror of the beaches of Normandy along their trek through Northern France and into Belgium. Dwane Burke, a teacher from Saskatch- ewan has a wealth of family history and knowledge about the military and the past. As a younger man, he visited France to see some of the places he had heard about for years. He was in Normandy dur- ing the 60th anniversary of D-day. "I did it on my own, I was young," he says. Burke wanted to visit some of these historic spots again. This time, as a father of two boys, the journey was different. "It's unspeak- able how unbelievable it was," he says about meeting the other pilgrims, some of whom had ties to people who fought and died in Europe. "Being able to connect through other pilgrims really brought it home." The Star City history teacher tells the story of one pilgrim whose grandfather was a captain who kept a journal – some of the contents of the captain's journal were shared on site. Burke recalls it was a pretty incredible way to connect with that time and place. merci, merci! The journey started in France, weaving its way through the regions of Caen and Dieppe, into Ypres in Belgium and ending in the Arras area back in France. As they walked, stopped and contemplated, pil- grims lived through many emotions and felt the extreme gratitude of local residents whose families were liberated all those years ago. The pilgrims recount stories of locals, even children, running up to them and shouting in French, "thanks for our lives," "thank you for the peace," and sim- ply, "merci, merci." The actions of brave Canadians changed the world, and even many years later, the people of France and Belgium have not forgotten. On one occasion, Buster Rogers recalls a woman who reminded him of Mother Theresa in her frailty. She approached his group asking if they were Canadians. When he replied in the affirmative he says, "she put out her hands and kept saying thank you, thank you, thank you. I reached out and hugged her." While visiting Flanders Fields in Bel- gium, another local woman, much young- er, walked up and asked him a question that sticks with him to this day. She said, "can you tell me why all those young people came from your country to die?" It was a common question among pilgrims, the "why?" of it all – but Rogers says they knew. "The tyranny had to be stopped. Had it not stopped the tyranny would have spread." Forgotten names Those who made the journey received the name of a fallen soldier from their home province before leaving. They researched details about the person behind the name. Where they lived, where they died. Tour guide Goheen explains that it al- lows pilgrims to connect with the past emotionally and mentally. He taught them how to find all sorts of details such as a soldier's appearance - the shade of his hair, the colour of his eyes – as a way to under- stand that these men were just like any of us, but somehow ended up in the middle of war. Each pilgrim told the story of their "Ceremonies of Remembrance took on deep new meaning, held in cemeteries and other places where Canadians found their final resting place." Buster Rogers lays a wreath at Ardenne Abbey while Marion Fryday-Cook looks on

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