FROM THE LANGLEY ADVANCE NOV. 17, 2015
A seat was available for the Second World War veteran, but John Swityk chose to stand for much of 91原创 City鈥檚 Remembrance Day ceremonies Nov. 11 at Douglas Park.
The slight, soft-spoken 91原创 resident served with the Royal Regina Rifles regiment from 1940 to 鈥�46, is a D-Day veteran, and back in February was awarded the French Legion of Honour Medal from Consul General of France Jean-Christophe Fleury during a ceremony at the 91原创 Legion.
Before last Wednesday鈥檚 ceremony got underway, Swityk told the Advance he鈥檚 faithfully attended Remembrance Day services since 1946.
鈥淎fter I got out of the army, I never missed,鈥� Swityk said. 鈥淎rmistice Day, well I call it Armistice Day, but Remembrance Day, I never missed it one year yet 鈥� never. And I always lay a cross for my regiment.鈥�
In July 1941, Swityk and his regiment went overseas to England. They were among the brave soldiers who waded through the Atlantic Ocean towards Juno Beach in Normandy, France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
鈥淚t was pretty bad,鈥� Swityk recalled, of that fateful day. 鈥淭he landing craft that our guns were on, it hit a mine right on the beach just about 20 yards away, and it blew the front doors right off and killed a couple of sailors, so we couldn鈥檛 get our guns off.鈥�
Swityk and his comrades went overboard into the water and pushed ashore.
鈥淭hen we had to go and join B Company and go house to house,鈥� Swityk said.
By day鈥檚 end, the Canadians on Juno Beach lost 340, saw 574 wounded, with 47 taken prisoner. But of all the divisions that landed on June 6, the Canadians had gained the most ground by sundown.
Swityk said he 鈥渞emembers a lot of things that happened.鈥�
鈥淢y sergeant got wounded, so I was made a sergeant right in the field and I went through the rest of the war with two anti-tank guns and 15 personnel,鈥� Swityk explained. 鈥淚 was in charge of the guns and after D-Day, the first day we were supposed to go 11 miles inland but we only made it halfway, and it got dark and we lost too many people.鈥�
On particular day, Swityk said 鈥渁 lot of officers got wounded or killed,鈥� in his regiment, 鈥渟o they decided to rendezvous for the night.鈥�
He and his regiment, he explained, dug in and readied for what they thought would be an imminent German attack at sunrise.
鈥淲e thought they would be comin鈥� after us, but because they didn鈥檛 come so when the sun came up鈥�, we just took off and went,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 encounter any Germans. We got there ahead of everybody else. We got too far in so we were all set up there, and we went house to house and we checked them out and there was some stuff on the stoves, but no people; everyone was gone.鈥�
After the war, Swityk remained in Holland and England before being discharged and returning to Vancouver.
Three days after he arrived, found work at the Vancouver Province newspaper鈥檚 printing press, in the composing room.
鈥淚 went to work right away,鈥� Swityk said. 鈥淎fter I got to Vancouver, three days later I was working.鈥�
Swityk and his wife of 67 years Helen have two sons and a daughter, as well as two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
He and Helen bought their first house in Vancouver on Nanaimo Street in 1950 and have lived in 91原创 for the past 21 years.
He remained with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1967 and in civilian life worked for Lafarge Cement as a maintenance inspector.
鈥� files from the Government of Canada, Royal Canadian Air Force
