France's Legion of Honour moves Alberta WW II veterans
Four WW II veterans from Alberta were awarded France's highest honour for their services in the war.
Ira Haight, Alexander Mclaren, James Stout and William MacGregor received the Legion of Honor, an award equivalent to the Order of Canada, at a ceremony at the Alberta legislature Thursday night.
"I never expected anything like this," said MacGregor, a 91-year-old veteran from Bonnyville, who landed on the beaches of Normandy during the war. "Years went by and you made a living so I didn't expect to be honoured like this. But it's nice."
He recalls the chaos that met the landing forces so many years ago.
"Lots of blood and lots of mud when you're a medic," he said.
McLaren's eldest daughter Sandra Boos said it was many years before her father opened up about his time in the war.
"He's shared a lot of his memories and what he experienced and we are in awe of what he went through. It's quite amazing."
It was clear from the tears shed at the ceremony, the honour was something that the veterans will hold dear.
"It recognizes what he went through and what his troop mates and the other soldiers went through," said MacGregor's daughter, Vivian Bryant. "And even the ones like his brother who never came home. And it more justifies and verifies and gives him some substance and meaning."
The French government said it plans to award 400 more Canadian veterans with the Legion of Honor by the end of the year.
