“Just before we got on the landing craft our officer said, ‘I want to tell you boys you’re all good. You know your job. Get out there and get them. But one thing I want to tell you, most of you guys won’t be coming back.’ 

So you know what that meant.

I said, ‘Sir, I’m coming home. I'm going to go do my job.’ 

‘That’s what I like to hear,’ he said.

When we hit the beach, the water was red.

Don’t let anyone ever tell you they weren’t scared. You were scared the whole time and you’re on the beach and your buddy is yelling at you to help but you can’t stop.

One thing you have to do when you make it on the beach, you’ve got to go for yourself, which is hard to do, to get those pillboxes, cement that thick, three machine guns in there. 

In B Company, there were only 27 of us left out of the whole company (of 125). So that was hard.” 

- Métis Veteran Francis Godon (1924–2019) remembering his role as a corporal in the Royal Winnipeg Rifles during the D-Day landing at Juno Beach, Normandy on June 6, 1944. Interview by the Veteran Voices of Canada.  

Welcome to our special Remembrance Day episode, One Nation, Many Veterans, as we honour the tens of thousands of Métis men and women who have served in Canada’s military, world wars, conflicts, peacekeeping and humanitarian missions, going all the way back to 1884-5 and Canada’s first ever involvement in a foreign conflict. 

In this episode, host Matt LeMay digs into the proud history of Métis military service with two distinguished Métis veterans:   

Brian Black served in the Canadian navy including during the first Gulf War. He is a past President of the Métis Nation of Ontario Veterans Council and the current Director of Self-Government for the MNO. His Métis ties are in the Treaty 3 Rainy River-Rainy Lake Area.  

Brian Prairie is a veteran of the Lake Superior Regiment and the current President of MNO Veterans Council. A resident of Thunder Bay, his Métis ancestry goes back to the Red River. 

In this episode we also hear from Métis National Council President Cassidy Caron on efforts by the MNC to get Métis veterans of World War 2, Korea and beyond the recognition and compensation from the Canadian government that they deserve.

Host Matt LeMay is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, with roots in the Red River, Drummond Island and Penetanguishene. He is a documentary film-maker and co-founder of Indigenous Geographic. 

Our theme music is "Harry Daniels" by Métis fiddler John Arcand.  

"One Nation, Many Stories" is produced by the Métis National Council and David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions.  

For more on the work of the Métis National Council, visit metisnation.ca