BRIDGETOWN, N.S. — A former Bridgetown army cadet has a whole new outlook on Remembrance Day after visiting numerous war graves and battle grounds in Europe earlier this year.
He saw two of the D-Day beaches and ran his hand through sand that at one time was drenched with blood spilled by brave men.
Nov. 11 means a lot more to him now, he said.
Ethen Rice took part in a nationwide opportunity offered by the Canadian cadet movement called Voyage in History that took him first to the Connaught Cadet Training Centre in Ottawa and later to Holland, France, and Belgium.
He left from Halifax July 6, arrived in Amsterdam July 12 and arrived back in Canada on July 24.
“It was just exploring. Looking at everything,” Rice said. They were a day behind schedule because a storm had delayed their flight to Europe. “A lot of us wanted to see the Anne Frank museum over in Amsterdam. That was really our first stop.”
They drove for three hours from Amsterdam to Brussels and while in Belgium also went to Bruges, in West Flanders site of the first-ever gas attack. Bruges was occupied by the Germans and liberated by Canadian troops during the Second World War.
While he loved the waffles and chocolate, seeing the countryside that was torn by wars as long as a century ago affected the 19-year-old.
“We went to see a lot of grave sites. I didn’t think there were that many,” he said. “There were a lot we saw. There were hundreds in Belgium. A lot in France, the Netherlands. It’s very touching how they fought for us.”
In France they also went to Juno Beach where 340 Canadians were killed, 574 wounded, and 47 captured for a total of 961 casualties on D-Day and in the advance inland toward Caen, the city the British and Canadians had hoped to liberate on June 6, 1944 the day they landed. It wasn’t freed until July 9. Most of the city was destroyed and more than 2,000 civilians killed.
“It was the most destroyed city in Belgium/France during the Second World War,” Rice said. “It was an hour away from Juno beach.”
And he did visit Juno Beach where he took away a small bag filled with sand from the shoreline where so many had died.
Captain James Skafte, CO of the 686 Passchendaele Royal Canadian Cadet Corp in Bridgetown, said Rice deserved the Voyage in History opportunity.
“He’s a real honest, helpful guy,” said Skafte. “He’s great around younger cadets. He’s great around younger people. He’s even great around older folks. We gave him the Legion Medal of Excellence for his community service, community spirit.”
Rice was one of about 30 cadets from across the country who made the trip to Europe.
“Only the best of the best cadets go,” said Skafte. “Ethen already had the Legion Medal of Excellence.”
But he said there are no guarantees. “You have to have a fantastic track record of always doing your best,” Skafte said. “Great attendance, good leadership, good public speaking – just the all-round top cadet.”
Rice joined cadets in Bridgetown when he was 14 years old and had attained the rank of corporal in just two years and aged out as a master warrant officer.
Rice got into cadets because his father was a sea cadet and in Grade 7 he had a friend who talked about it.
“It just sounded so interesting,” he said, adding that what he learned from cadets he’ll take with him the rest of his life.
He recommends cadets. “At least give it a try.
Rice is now attending the NSCC Achieve program in Middleton.
