Ceremony honors invasion's soldiers
SANDPOINT — Sam Wormington, local resident and the first manager of Schweitzer Mountain Resort, recently returned from Normandy, France, where he and his granddaughters, Cherise Singleton and Kate Neu, took part in the 65th commemoration of the invasion of Normandy.
Wormington, now 89, is one of twelve individuals honored at the event marking the anniversary of more than 130,000 allied troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy on the morning of June 6, 1944. It was the turning point that led to the defeat of Germany in World War II.
He is a former infantryman of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division who landed on Juno Beach during the attack. The Canadian troops landed alongside American troops making the Invasion of Normandy the largest combined sea, air and land offensive ever undertaken in human history.
This year’s three-day event began with a re-enacted parachute drop near the village of Ranville, France, close to the Pegasus Bridge. The evening brought fireworks that were shot off from 25 beaches where the allied forces came ashore along the Normandy coast.
Several world leaders attended this year’s historical event including our U.S. President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain’s Prince Charles.
“One of the most touching parts for both Kate and I was to see how much the veterans were respected in France for what they’ve done for the country. That made such an impression on us,” said Cherise. “We went with our grandfather to support him, and to go to the ceremonies that France held to honor these veterans. We were really touched.”
Wormington was the only veteran, of the twelve, who wore the “proper” uniform — the original uniform he wore 65 years ago.
“I was the only one wearing the Canadian uniform — the only one properly dressed,” Wormington said.
“He wears this uniform to all the functions, and people seem to love him,” Cherise said. “He’s tall and looks good, and those who saw him came up to him, and he’d put his arms around them. Everyone, from little kids to grandmas, would take pictures of our grandfather. He was definitely a popular man.”
As a Canadian World War II veteran, Wormington’s military career began in 1942. He trained in various places in Canada, and was eventually sent to England where he underwent artillery training in 1943. On June 12, he landed on Juno Beach.
He fired one of the “new” guns at 120 rounds per minute, taking part in the Belgium, Holland and Germany campaigns.
“When it came to the history of this event, we sat down with a Canadian military historian who told us all about it, and the importance of the Invasion,” Cherise said. “This war zone, he explained, was only 10 miles wide, but 20 miles long! They had this narrow strip of land and worked inland while at war.”
Over the years, the granddaughters have been given bits of information about their grandfather’s experience at war for the Canadian military.
“I think it was fairly common that when you wanted to talk to veterans they didn’t want to talk about the war, but nowadays it seems they are talking more. So we were able to hear more stories and realize the reality of it all. Our grandfather was in the anti-aircraft division and he began to talk about it. And when he talked, you could almost see it happening in his mind — the things he saw and how it all happened. He talked about a friend who was shot, and how he managed to get his friend back to safety.”
The 65th anniversary ceremonies are expected to be the last large-scale remembrance involving the war’s aging survivors, many of whom are now in their late 80s.
“War is a terrible thing,” Cherise said. “But it saves cultures and lives. It makes us really proud of our grandfather.”
After the war, Worming-ton began building ski resorts in both the U.S. and Canada, including Schweitzer Mountain. He established and managed ten ski resorts in his lifetime. He was also a volunteer for search and rescue.