102-year-old Winnipeg veteran looks back on D-Day 80 years later – Winnipeg | Globalnews.ca

The tattered leather of Len Van Roon’s boots has many stories to tell.

“These are the boots I wore when I landed in Normandy, and I wore them until the end,” said Len Van Roon, now 102.

The boots are just one of many relics that Van Roon has collected over 80 years, including bullet shells, cans from which he ate, an old camera from which he took photos, and 1,000 letters he wrote to his hometown.

Van Roon left Manitoba for England in 1943. Being drafted into the army came as a surprise to the then 21-year-old.

“It was just me and my mother raising chickens on a small poultry farm and I thought 'They won't draft me'. But, I was healthy, I was 21, and I was OK,” he said.

“I'm not a very good soldier. I was just drafted, recruited, and assigned a mission.”

For Van Roon, that job was to send signals back to the guns via radio to make sure they fired at the right spots. June 6, 1944, is still etched in Van Roon's mind.

“On D-Day, everything was ready and we sailed for the coast,” he said.

“There was a small boat tied to a big ship and the sea was rough. They threw us overboard and we sailed very close to the shore, but it was our job to make sure our shells landed in the right place, and that was my only job.”

The veteran waited for some time at Juno Beach with wounded soldiers and prisoners of war while minesweepers on Sherman tanks cleared the beach of mines. It was then that he witnessed an act of heroism by one of his officers.

“There was a body out there that washed up in the ocean and he knew that body was going to be gone,” he said.

“He just said 'Van Roan, take care of this,' and he waded out and carried the body back so it wouldn't be lost. When you talk about dedication or the work that someone is willing to do … he risked his life to make sure it got done. Situations like that are memorable.”

The Normandy landings are credited with turning the tide of World War II. But for Van Roon, they also marked the beginning of a difficult few months.

“The landing was the hardest part and the next three months were really horrible,” he said.

Van Loon then traveled through France, to Belgium, to the Netherlands, and finally to Germany.

“It was a long journey,” Van Roon recalled. “We actually wore out the tracks on one of our Sherman tanks, and we had to replace them in Holland.”

Many of Van Roon's comrades and close friends died along the way, including his best friend Frank Walden.

“My closest friend, he took too many risks,” he said. “He was given the opportunity to do the worst job, and he took it, and I thought, 'That's it, he's never going to get it back.' And that's what happened. He lost his life.”

The end of World War II was a surreal moment for Van Roon. He returned home to Charleswood, Winnipeg, and married the love of his life, Verna, who had been waiting for him in her hometown.

He recalled: “I saw her sometimes working with young people in the church, she had a great personality and was always willing to help others, I thought she was a very special person.”

“That's what she was, a truly special person. She could assess almost any situation and help someone.”

After World War II, Van Roon remained committed to honoring those who had fought alongside him and those who had died. He and his wife spent ten years finding and collecting photographs of 20 Charleswood men and boys who had not returned home; these photographs hang in the Charleswood Museum. He also worked to raise funds to create a memorial plaque honoring veterans from the Charleswood and South Headingley area who had died during World Wars I and II.

At 102, Van Roon still speaks at local schools and museums, ensuring those who made the great sacrifice are never forgotten.

“Someone paid a real price so you can do something like this,” Van Roon said.

“This is an opportunity to do something for the community and the country. The opportunity is there, don't miss it.”

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