Situated on top of a gentle rise just a few kilometres inland from the Normandy coast in France is Beny sur Mer Canadians War Cemetery. Once a corner of a farmer’s field, it is now the final resting place for 2048 soldiers and airmen, mostly all Canadian. Killed in the days and weeks following the Allied D-Day invasion on 6 June 1944. Among the scores of maple leaf-etched headstones is that of Arthur Bouchard, a private from le Regiment de la Chaudiere, age 28. The inscription on his headstone, selected by his parents and wife read, “LE DERNIER CADEAU DE L’AMOUR SOUVENIR” (love’s last gift – remembrance). Simply stated, the inscription is a powerful reminder of the very least every Canadian should do – remember Private Bouchard and the more than 100,000 Canadians killed in the service of Canada, in war and in peace. But howwell dowe remember? With each passing year, the wars of living memory slip increasingly closer to the stuff of history books and the currency of historians. When you consider that the number of Canadian Second World War veterans is well below 30,000 now and decreasing rapidly with each By John Goheen HowWell DoWe Remember?
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