Peepeekisis Cree Nation soldier Charles Bird stormed Juno Beach 80 years ago with 14,000 other Canadians. Now his son and other Peepeekisis members have traveled to France for a ceremony honouring his late father and other members of the Regina Rifles.Descendants of D-Day veterans from Peepeekisis Cree Nation in southern Sask. were recently presented with a miniature version of a staue commemorating the Regina Rifles.
Charles Bird survived D-Day, but was later wounded in the foot, leg and shoulder. Bird was treated and sent back to the front, continuing to fight before he and dozens of others returned to Peepeekisis in southern Saskatchewan. On June 5, a 2.5-metre-high bronze statue will be unveiled at la Place des Canadiens in Bretteville-sur-Mer, France, to honour their fathers and grandfathers who stormed the beaches of Normandy 80 years ago. The statue was created by an Alberta artist after 18 months of fundraising by the Regina Rifles and contributions from Peepeekisis."Our spirit will be there with the spirit of those gone on in a powerful way, with creator looking upon us and blessing us," he said.
Peepeekisis members served in other units as well. Fellow headman Blaine Pinay's father, Edward Pinay, was wounded on D-Day after he was dropped in as a paratrooper. "That was the choice that they made to step forward, put their hand in the creator's hand, and go off and do battle with the Nazis in Europe. And the contribution from that First Nation and other First Nations across the province was just remarkable."
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