Lest we forget

There has been a whole lot of remembrance stuff on the radio and television this weekend concerning the D-Day landings of WW2. I found it really poignant and humbling that we owe so much to these young men (and women) who gave so much for King and Country. We used the newsround website as a source for our assembly on Friday morning. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/d-day_/newsid_3773000/3773737.stm

The story of a 89 year old man leaving his care home to travel to Normandy really made me smile, He showed true spirit and determination.

Bernard Jordan, an 89-year-old D-Day veteran, was reportedly told by staff at the Pines nursing home in Furze Hill, also in England, that he couldn’t travel to Normandy to be with his comrades for the 70th anniversary of the famous invasion.
On Thursday, Jordan went missing. The nursing home called the police, informing them that the veteran hadn’t been seen since leaving at around 10:30 a.m. that morning, the Daily Mail reports.
So where did he go?
The Royal Navy veteran put on his war medals under a raincoat and met his former comrades on a coach. They arrived at a hotel in Ouistreham, northwestern France, about 12 hours later. He was going to Normandy — with or without permission.

Screengrab via the Daily Mail

Fitting in with my 'Adventure before Dementia' theme, here is a picture of Jock Hutton, another 89 year old veteran who parachuted into Normandy to recreate his drop of 70 years before.  I did a tandem parachute jump some years ago and can confirm without doubt, it was the most terrifying thing I have ever done.