As part of their efforts to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Orillia Secondary School organized A Walk to Remember, where dozens of students participated in one-kilometer walks throughout their neighborhoods to commemorate the anniversary.

The episode puts a focus on youth involvement within commemoration, and includes interviews with the teacher responsible for spearheading the initiative, Ms. Leanne Young, as well as three students who participated.

Both Anne and Howard McNamara served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.

Bambi Gray was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario — one of Canada’s proudest military cities. She enlisted in 2011 and went on to serve her country for seven years as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Serving with the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, Guy Crowther celebrated his 21st birthday in unique fashion - by helping liberate the Netherlands in the final days of the war.

Growing up in Kent, England, Jaye Edwards was known as an adventurer to those who knew her. Eventually, her sense of adventure would lead her to fly planes during the Second World War, as part of the Air Transport Auxiliary.

David Adlington served with the Royal Canadian Regiment in the Second World War. He participated in the Italian campaign, in the critical Battle of Ortona, where he was injured.

Stanley Edwards was a Calgary Tanks trooper and participated in the Dieppe Raid. He was captured by German soldiers and became a Prisoner of war. He escaped merely days before the end of the Second World War.

This episode was created using the audio from our “Heroes Remember” series. Sadly, Mr. Edwards passed away in 2019, at the age of 96. We are preserving his legacy.

Elsa Lessard enlisted in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service, commonly known as the WRENs, in 1943. During the Second World War she served in a secret communications station where she helped intercept messages from German U-boats that were hunting Allied convoys in the North Atlantic.

Both Anne and Howard McNamara served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Anne joined as part of the Entertainment Unit, helping boost morale across North America and Europe, while her future husband Howard served as a Spitfire pilot in the North African and Italian Campaigns. They are the faces of this year’s Veterans’ Week poster.

Retired Major Jay Feyko is the National Manager of Solider On, a Canadian Armed Forces program that empowers physically and mentally injured members to embrace an active lifestyle. He joins us to talk about the role his team plays in supporting ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans on their journey to recovery, and the difficult task of choosing Team Canada for each Invictus Games.

Sports have always played a key role in the life of Retired Captain Ryan Carey, who played in the Canadian Football League before joining the Canadian Armed Forces. He joins us to talk about how returning to those competitive roots to prepare to represent his country in archery, sitting volleyball, and swimming at the Invictus Games has impacted his life.