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Jun. 9, 2004. 01:00 AM

Their stories must be told so future generations will know and understand their heroism and sacrifice

This past weekend, I spent many hours speaking with aging veterans about the war and the sacrifices that so many made in order that we can enjoy the freedom we have today. I met these veterans on a windswept grassy hill beside a small memorial cairn as I have done at Remembrance Day ceremonies and at other such D-Day events. I do this to pay my respects and express my respect and gratitude to them for their sacrifices. When I read the article in the Star about the Juno beach celebrations, I was deeply moved by the stories of the survivors of that day of infamy. I was particularly moved by the part of the story detailing the visit to the Canadian cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer and of the inscriptions on grave markers that would give families some small measure of closure and a place they may visit to reflect on what might have been. Unfortunately, this only served to heighten my sadness for the families of other Canadians who paid the supreme price for our freedom and who will never know their loved ones' final resting place.

Those Canadians whom I speak of are the often forgotten men and women who fought the secret war. They lived, worked and died behind enemy lines, paving the way for the great invasion called D-Day. These Canadians, men and women, were dropped by parachute or landed on lonely beaches in the dead of night in Nazi-occupied Europe. They were sent in alone to train and organize resistance groups, sabotage and destroy enemy supply lines and to destroy or disrupt the enemy's communications infrastructure.

I cannot imagine the sheer courage that was needed to step off a landing craft at Juno Beach during the D-Day invasion but then again neither can I imagine the courage and determination it must have taken an agent to step out of an aircraft or small boat in the dead of night behind enemy lines. To be alone, with no comrades at your side and such a daunting task ahead of you must have been overwhelming. Many of these brave men and women were captured, tortured and killed, their bodies disposed of with no formal gravesite for their families and loved ones to visit or grieve over.

The windswept grassy hill I spoke of earlier is the former site of Camp X on the boundary of Oshawa and Whitby. This is the camp established by Sir William Stephenson where agents were trained before being sent overseas to fight behind enemy lines. It is discouraging for those who survive that there is little public recognition for the work that they did on behalf of their country.

These secret warriors deserve greater recognition than that afforded them to date. Their stories must be told so that future generations of Canadians will know and understand the heroism and sacrifices they made for all of us. The Camp X Historical Society's motto is: "The preservation of history through education" and we of the society are determined to make sure that Canadians never forget the contribution these brave souls made to ensure our freedom from tyranny.

While we should most certainly pay tribute to our Juno Beach heroes, let's not forget those Canadians who paved the way for the invasion, Canada's secret warriors.

John McLean, President, Camp X Historical Society, Oshawa

This was where the men who composed the Jedburgh teams trained, and where many of the instructors for various Canadian, UK, and US elite units worked out of.