Mr. Speaker, Quebec has its own war heroes who deserve special recognition on the occasion of that other 150th anniversary.
One of them, Léo Major, is our only soldier to have been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the DCM, in two separate wars. He landed at Normandy and single-handedly captured almost 100 Nazi soldiers at the Battle of the Scheldt.
He refused to return home despite having lost an eye and broken his back. He had a war to finish.
In one night, he single-handedly liberated the Dutch city of Zwolle, which was occupied by 1,000 enemy troops.
During the Korean War, he and 18 soldiers recaptured a hill that an American division of 10,000 had lost. Léo Major and his men held their position for three days, repelling seven attacks by two Chinese divisions 14,000 soldiers strong.
Quebec has war heroes who fought and are still fighting for freedom, and Léo Major was one of them. Some soldiers by their actions become legend.
Léo Major, je me souviens. I remember. We will all remember.