A St. Albert Second World War veteran has been given one of the highest honours the French government can bestow for his role in liberating that country more than 70 years ago.
William Opitz, who served on the minesweeper HMCS Bayfield during and after the war, was presented with the rank of Chevalier (Knight) of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour at a ceremony April 20, 2015, at HMCS Nonsuch in Edmonton.
He said it was an absolute honour to receive the award, adding he's accepting it not just on his own behalf.
“I'm receiving this for many other people, too,” he said. “There were thousands and thousands and thousands of people who died there, and they're unable to get something like this, so we have to honour them too.”
While Opitz wasn't part of the ground invasion in Normandy that ultimately resulted in the liberation of France and the defeat of Nazi Germany, he played a crucial role in the invasion.
In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, minesweepers cleared the way for the amphibious assault that following, one that remains the largest ever in human history.
“If it wasn't for us, they wouldn't have got in there,” he said. “We swept all the mines for all of the countries going in there, for every beach.”
The French Legion of Honour, created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is intended to recognize distinction among French nationals, but it has also been awarded to non-citizens who have demonstrated exceptional service to the French Republic.
Lt-Cmdr. Tim Cusack, another St. Albert resident who is currently the commander of HMCS Nonsuch in Edmonton, said Opitz's award is a testament to the quality of prairie sailors, despite the apparent contradiction of sailors from a land-locked province.
“I think it's truly outstanding that the government of France recognizes the efforts of this particular Canadian sailor and his participation in the Battle of the Atlantic, which was the longest-running campaign of the Second World War,” he said.
Wide-open spaces and vast expanses of horizon are common to both the prairie life and life on the sea, something that Cusack said helps prairie residents excel at naval life.
“The fact that so many years later he's getting the Legion of Honour medal is tremendous,” he said. “We're just thrilled, and I think it's a great way for our young sailors to connect with that past and connect with that legacy.”
He added the timing of the award is completely appropriate, given the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic is coming up in early May.
Opitz said he was initially asked if the award could be presented later in the month to coincide with that commemoration, but he's making another trip across the Atlantic to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Holland.
He has made other trips to Europe to commemorate anniversaries related to the Second World War, including trips to Normandy to commemorate the 70th and 60th anniversaries of the invasion, but sees fewer familiar faces every time he goes.
“There's not too many of us left,” he said. “Everybody I ever knew (in the war), they're all passed away. I'm one of the lucky ones.”