This year mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the first day of the battle of Normandy.
A commemoration train tour honouring the service members who fought in the battle and the war made a stop at Winnipeg’s Union Station on Wednesday.
Leonard Van Roon, who landed in Normandy on D-Day was there.
Now 97, the veteran still remembers the shell fire from 75 years ago.
“I didn’t feel there was any hopelessness to it, or anything like that. But I knew it was darn dangerous,” he said.
The nation-wide commemoration tour aims to mimic the same trip Van Roon and other Canadians made to Halifax by train before going overseas to serve in the war.
Veterans Affairs Canada’s Robert Loken said the scheduled VIA Rail train is collecting combat boots from veterans across Canada.
He said they’re pieces of history to take to the tour’s final stop.
“It was important for us to take a look at the opportunity to spread that out across the country and not just limit it to one day,” Loken, the manager of national commemorations said.
Van Roon’s boots won’t be going to Halifax, though. He’s saving them as a keepsake for a younger generation.
“I said if you touch those boots when you grow up you can say I touched boots that landed on that shore,” he said.
Nearly 15 pairs of boots from across Canada will be on display for the ceremony in Halifax on June 6, including two pairs from Manitoba.
All of the boots will be returned when the tour concludes.
- With files from CTV’s Jason Gaidola
