1st Canadian Parachute Battalion

Last week, I was extremely honored to meet George Cooper in Ottawa. George served in the Second World War with the legendary 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, where he took part in the eleven-month battle for the liberation of Europe from Hitler’s tyranny. He is one hundred years old. “Paras Versus the Reich” by Bernd Horn and Michel Wyczynski is a riveting account of the contribution that George and his fellow Canadian paratroopers made to the fight for freedom, and I highly recommend it. I also had the pleasure of meeting Sergeant Major Mike Louvelle, who fought in Afghanistan as part of Canada’s campaign against the Taliban. We are a better country because of the contributions and sacrifices these gentlemen, and all others like them.