CORNWALL, Ontario – Cadets from Cornwall and Alexandria spent 10 days in Europe over the March Break touring sites mostly connected to the D-Day invasion of Europe.
This year is the 74th anniversary of D-Day that saw the allies begin to liberate Europe from the Nazis.
“Cadets had an opportunity to visit locations throughout France and Italy, such as Juno Beach, Arromanches, the Abbey D’Ardenne and Monte Cassino over 10 days,” wrote Sandy McDonald, in a press release, Area Elemental Advisor for the Air Cadets. “The culmination of two years of planning and fundraising, cadets between the ages of 14-18 had an opportunity to see, experience and better understand the atrocities of war as well as the efforts the allies had to undergo in order for the world to be as it is today. Text books and photos cannot compare to the opportunity to visit historical sites and encounter first hand the challenges that soldiers would have been exposed to.”
Some activities that the cadets engaged in while over in Europe included a research project on the Beny-Sur-Mer Commonwealth War Graves Site. Each cadet was tasked to do research and find the grave marker of one SD&G Highlander who is buried in the site as an act of remembrance.
Cadets noted the young ages of some of those who are buried in the Commonwealth grave site, and how some are unnamed.
“What marked me the most is that many tombstones were without names, and said unknown soldier,” said Cpl Sabrina Lalonde-Vaillancourt. “Many soldiers went to war lying about their age in order to fight for our country and many have never returned home.”
This is the second such trip that the cadets have made to Europe in recent years. The other most recent trip took place in 2017 and involved a visit to the Vimy Ridge memorial as it was the 100th anniversary of the historic World War I battle. The cadets had the opportunity to visit the memorial on this trip as well.
“It was amazing to stand where they stood, where they fought for us, and died for us. We were able to see the sheer mass amount of people who passed on the battlefield, some as young as 17. It truly was an honour to be there, where they laid down their lives for us,” remarked Sgt Connor Attridge, a cadet with 379 Glengarry Mustangs squadron in Alexandria.
The cadets are already planning another trip for 2021.
