The Royal Regina Rifles are hosting a delegation from Normandy, France this week. Fifteen members of the Up The Johns Association will be in Regina from Sept. 2 to Sept. 10 to experience the “history, heritage, and culture of Saskatchewan.” The group has been a strong supporter of the Royal Regina Rifles for over 10 years, providing accommodation and transportation to touring members of the regiment when they visit Normandy during annual D-Day celebrations. “This is really important for us all to know that the exploits of our fighting riflemen from so long ago are memorialized by our great friends and allies in Normandy.” said Kevin Barry, the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Regina Rifles (RRR). Members of the RRR, the RRR Association and the RRR Trust have planned a series of activities for the week to show what the regiment, Regina and Saskatchewan can offer as gratitude for the Up The Johns Association. For the first day of the tour, delegates took a tour of downtown Regina. They made a stop at Regina City Hall and were welcomed by Mayor Chad Bachynski and city council. The tour continued to north of Regina, where a demonstration by the 435 Search & Rescue Squadron was held. “A lot of people, even in Canada, are not too familiar with search and rescue technicians. For us to get some eyes on here, I think is great,” said Connor Twomey, a search and rescue technician from the Royal Canadian Air Force. The delegates arrived at Regina International Airport Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, a search and rescue display and demonstration will be held off of Highway 1. On Thursday, the delegates will get a museum tour and a “soldier for a day” experience at the Regina Armoury. There will be a live fire shoot and firepower demonstration at the Canadian Forces Detachment in Dundurn on Friday. On Saturday, a legislature tour and announcement of colours will be held. Officials from the Canadian Armed Forces, the French ambassador and defence attache to Canada, as well as Premier Scott Moe along with various MPs and MLAs will be in attendance as special guests. “Every year on June 6, they commemorate what we did when we took the beach. Having them come here is a great honour for us,” Barry said.
