DDay. Today was an extremely powerful day filled with ceremonies, time for reflection on the DDay beaches and some moving interactives. We left the Churchill bright and early with our bagged lunches in hand and headed to the Juno Beach Centre. Once there we were instructed as to what our role would be in the ceremony: the youth representative who were to stand at attention throughout the ceremony behind all of the dignitaries and speakers. It was an honour and a role not overlooked by those at the ceremony; one woman whose mother had lived in the area during the invasion came to thank the students for their presence at the ceremony.
The ceremony went off without a hitch, with students speaking and laying wreaths on behalf of the DHP and Canadian youth. Our time at the JBC also included time in the beach and a visit to the museum. Once we were done it was time to eat lunch on the bus as we headed to Beny-sur-Mer Canadian cemetery for the official Canadian ceremony. Here we had students read the Commitment to Remember and almost everyone else participated in the wreath-laying ceremony.
** Ahhh who would have thought the internet would be slow in a 200 year old hotel?! More stories and pics to follow as soon as possible :) **