Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day, a day when roughly 156,000 allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to fight for our freedom. While many lives were lost during the war, there were also many who survived who continue to tell their story.
Jack Fettig is a Second World War veteran who is just shy of his 100th birthday. He’s been looking forward to attending the 75th D-Day anniversary ceremony held Thursday at the Lethbridge cenotaph for some time.
“It means quite a bit to me ’cause I mean, some of my buddies went over there, and I know one of them that never got back. So that kind of means a lot to me,” Fettig said.
In the early 1940s, Fettig worked on his family farm south of Grassy Lake. After he and his brother joined the war effort, Fettig suffered a knee injury and was sent to Halifax to work at a weapons storage facility while also doing guard duty. While most of the fighting was overseas, Fettig recalled one moment he’ll never forget.
“Up everybody, on out on the floor, the Germans are here,” said Fettig, recalling what was said at the time by a commanding officer.
Prepared to fight, he and many other soldiers were on guard after reports came in of Nazis in the Saint Lawrence River.
“They blew up an oil taker just outside of Halifax, that they must have hit sometime or other and the oil tanker burned for months and months,” Fettig added.
Completing his service in 1945, Fettig went back to his normal life, getting married and starting work in the housing industry. Not long after, he joined the legion and alongside fellow veterans, they came to pay their respects on this milestone anniversary at the Lethbridge cenotaph.
“These are the last remaining veterans of the Second World War. We have a few left from that and the Korean War, but this will probably be their last major anniversary that these veterans can get out,” said Jeffery Alden, manager of the Lethbridge Legion.
With his military and legion service now behind him, Fettig watches as the younger generations of veterans now lead the way.
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