Luc Courcy    

My Father !  -  My Hero !

My father Luc Courcy is a veteran of Second World War. He served in many regiments between 1939 and 1945. He fought against the Japanese in the Pacific and against the Germans in Europe.

My father was in Nanaimo, British Columbia in 1943, as a member of the "Régiment de Hull" and of the 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade when he received the mission to participate in a joint Canadian/American expedition to retake Kiska Island from the Japanese. Kiska Island is one of the Aleutian islands which were captured by the Japanese in June 1942 after the Battle of Dutch Harbor.

Following heavy bombardment from air and sea, an amphibious force of nearly a hundred ships moved toward Kiska, reaching the island early on 15 August. 6,500 troops went ashore on the west side of the island, unopposed in calm, clear weather. The next day Canadian troops came ashore onto another beach farther north, also unopposed. The allied troops pushed inland, encountering dense fog and chilling rain and wind, expecting to find the Japanese waiting on the high ground. But the entire Japanese garrison of 5,183 men had slipped away on 28 July, almost three weeks before the Allied landing. On 24 August 1943, Kiska was declared secure, marking the end of the Aleutian Islands Campaign. My father continued to serve in the Pacific until the summer of 1944.

After getting married in Montreal on September 28, 1944, my father's next mission was to join the Allied efforts already underway in Europe as a member of the Royal 22nd Regiment. Following the Normandy invasion, the Canadian Army was part of the Allied's push toward Germany. My father entered Germany and fought in the Black Forest before moving on to the heavily fortified Scheldt estuary where the Canadian Army succeeded in defeating the Germans. My father's regiment then turned east and played a central role in the liberation of Holland and the Netherlands.

He was in Holland when the war ended and he came home in December 1945.

He started and ended the war as a Private. He was offered but refused promotions on many occasions. He didn't like to give orders and he preferred to do the fighting and let others give orders.

My father is 91 years old today, and he is my hero !

Donald Courcy

Below are photos of Canadian soldier Luc Courcy

Luc Courcy, standing with a drink in his hands

The next photos were taken at the Royal Canadian Legion in Saint-Jerome, Quebec on 31 May 2003 when 5 Veterans, including my father, received a new medal issued by Holland for the liberation of their country in 1945.

Luc Courcy

Luc Courcy

The five medals issued by Holland

The five Veterans who received the medal.

My father is second from left (grey blazer).

Luc Courcy on the left (grey blazer)

My Father !  My Hero !