Thousands of Canadians from both military and civilian life are joining Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Juno Beach in Normandy, France, this morning for an all-Canadian ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Of the five code-named French beaches where Allied forces stormed ashore to invade German-occupied France, Juno was the landing point for the 14,000 Canadian soldiers taking part.
This morning, a contingent of 359 youths marched with combat boots in hand and placed flowers on beachside fence posts to represent each of the 359 Canadian soldiers lost on that pivotal day.
An international ceremony will also take place at Juno Beach.
Students from Niagara are also in France today to take part in the ceremonies.
Photo - REVIERS, FRANCE - JUNE 05: Canadian veterans of the World War II Battle of Normandy and family members stand during a commemorative ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in Normandy on June 05, 2019 near Reviers, France. About 38 Canadian veterans took part in the ceremony at the cemetery that contains the graves of approximately 2,000 Canadian soldiers killed during D-Day and the subsequent fighting and is one of several scattered across Normandy. Veterans, families, visitors and military personnel are gathering in Normandy to commemorate the June 6, 75th anniversary of the Allied D-Day invasion, which heralded the Allied advance towards Germany and victory about 11 months later. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)