Mr. Speaker, I had the honour of attending two special presentations on the weekend at Branch 178 of the Royal Canadian Legion, a branch to which I have belonged for the last decade.
First, I joined the Consul General for France and the French defence attaché in presenting the prestigious Legion d'honneur medal to Fred Brown.
Fred is a signalman veteran from World War II who was wounded in France and then liberated France and the Netherlands, and for his service he was presented with this honour.
He remains, in his eighties, a proud member of the colour guard at our Legion, and I was privileged to join his family and friends that day.
We also presented John Greenfield with the Palm Leaf for his Meritorious Service Medal from the Legion.
John has been our veteran service officer at the branch for 15 years. In that time, he has helped 500 veterans, or their spouses, access benefits.
Our veteran service officers at the Legion remain the front line for our veterans, and I thank them for their service.
A Bravo Zulu to Fred and John from our branch in Bowmanville. Both their country and their city are proud of them.