A 95-year-old Sarnia veteran has returned to Normandy where he stormed the beaches on June 6, 1944.
Joseph Edwardson is one of 14 Canadian veterans who has made the trip to France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Mr. Edwardson was a member of the Royal Regina Rifle Unit during World War II.
His son, Dean Edwardson, said it's his father's second trip back since landing on Nan Green beach as part of the Juno Beach force.
"We were also there for the 70th anniversary, of course, this is something very important for the family, I think for anybody really," said Edwardson. "To look at that beach and understand what my father went through that particular day, it's quite amazing and emotional. We'll be at Courseulles-sur-Mer where the Canadians landed at Juno Beach and all along that area as well as Bernieres-sur-Mer, and there will be other commemorations at other spots."
Dean said his father doesn't talk very much about his time overseas.
"Like a lot of veterans he keeps a lot of this to himself, I think that sometimes it's a little painful to recall. He has shared some stories, and all I can say is that it exhibits the horror of war," said Edwardson.
More than 14,000 Canadians were part of the D-Day offensive, 359 of whom were killed.
Joseph Edwardson was awarded the French Legion of Honour Medal in 2014 for his service that day.
Veterans including Sarnia's Roy Hare, 94, were at a ceremony in Portsmouth, England Wednesday where Mr. Hare was greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
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