On Aug. 3, Murrayville great-grandfather and Second World War veteran John Swityk will turn 100.
Daughter Dianne Swityk told the 91原创 Advance Times the event will, of necessity, be a small celebration, limited to family and friends due to the limit on crowd sizes during the pandemic.
They are planning a surprise, but Dianne didn鈥檛 want it reported, because her father reads the newspaper.
A profile of Swityk for his birthday, prepared by family friend Eleanor Swan, recorded him saying 鈥渉e was not a hero, but did his duty the best he could do.鈥�
Dianne has a different view.
鈥淗e鈥檚 amazing man,鈥� she said, proudly.
Swityk was nearly 19 in 1940 when he enlisted with the First Battalion of the Regina Rifles in North Battleford, SK.
After initial training in Canada, they were shipped overseas in August 1941 to continue their training in Great Britain, while also providing coastal defence.
As a member of an anti-tank platoon, he trained as a .
READ ALSO: D-Day: 91原创 veteran was part of WWII鈥檚 history battle
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Swityk landed on Juno Beach, Normandy, fighting through the town of Courseulles.
鈥淗e was the first person in,鈥� Dianne said.
鈥淗e was the furthest in.鈥�
On June 7, towing anti-tank guns with light armoured tracked vehicles, the platoon was given the job of taking the village of Norrey en Bessin, the farthest in of the entire Allied advance.
Within the next few days, John was promoted in the field to the rank of Sergeant.
With the platoon, he fought through Normandy, Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany, until the Germans surrendered.
Swityk went on to train occupation personnel in the Netherlands and then served in Great Britain for a few months, before returning home to Saskatchewan in January 1946.
He was in uniform over five and a half years, with 14 months in Canada and four and a half years overseas, including eleven months in action on the front lines.
READ ALSO: France鈥檚 highest honour goes to 91原创 veteran
In 2015, Swityk was appointed a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, receiving the highest French honour from French consul-general Jean-Christophe Fleury at a presentation in 91原创.
鈥淭hank you for making my country a free country,鈥� Fleury said, praising Swityk for his 鈥渆xtraordinary bravery.鈥�
Swityk was among 600 Canadian veterans are recognized for their participation in the D-Day invasion that led to the liberation of France and the defeat of Nazi Germany.
READ ALSO: Cancelled services didn鈥檛 stop knighted soldier, 99, from paying respects
Every Remembrance Day, he has faithfully laid a cross in memory of his regiment, including a solitary visit last year during the pandemic that forced a cancellation of public gatherings.
In past comments, Swityk, a father of three, grandfather of two and great-grandfather of three, has explained why he was so insistent on attending.
鈥淭he reason I come is because when I landed on D-Day [as an anti-tank gunner], I saw for the first time in my life dead people鈥� bodies floating around in the water. They were my friends,鈥� Swityk said.
鈥淚鈥檓 here for them. For all the people we lost. For my friends.鈥�
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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