CANADA COMPANY OFFERS $5,000 IN STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR COMMEMORATIVE “OPERATION HUSKY 2013” TOURS WITH EXPLORICA EDUCATIONAL TRAVEL
Scholarships to help students participate in tours commemorating historic Canadian Second World War triumph
January 26, 2012 - Toronto, Canada— In order to raise awareness and commemorate the sacrifices of our armed forces, Canada Company, a not-for-profit organization that helps build relationships between the business community and Canada’s military, is donating a total of $5,000 toward student scholarships for Explorica’s exclusive Operation Husky 201370th anniversary commemorative tours.
Operation Husky 2013, which will take place in Sicily in July and August 2013, will pay tribute to those Canadians who fought and fell during this pivotal but lesser-known campaign and will keep alive the memory of the sacrifice made by all. The total of $5,000 in scholarships will be distributed amongst multiple students and travel groups.
“Canada Company is proud to offer these scholarships to students. It’s important that current and future generations of Canadians honour and remain connected to our history. Operation Husky 2013 is a unique opportunity for students to experience and partake in historical commemorations and we’re excited to be able to help them do so.” Says Canada Company Quebec Chapter President, Steve Gregory.
Tours with Explorica
Explorica, one of Canada’s leading educational tour companies that connects students to new cultures, languages and people through immersive travel experiences, has been chosen as the official educational tour operator for the 70thanniversary tours to Italy. The company was chosen by “Operation Husky 2013”, a memorial campaign organized by Canada Company Quebec Chapter President Steve Gregory and designed to honour those who fought and fell in this historic Canadian military effort.
Operation Husky
The Allied invasion of Sicily, known as “Operation Husky”, was the first successful Second World War invasion of the European mainland. It began on July 10th 1943, when Canadian soldiers landed at Pachino, Sicily and bravely fought and prevailed against the German defenses there. Flanked by General Montgomery and the British Eighth Army on the right, and General Patton and the US Seventh Army on the left, Canadian participation in Operation Husky marked the first independent role for Canadian soldiers in the Second World War. Its success led to the creation of a second major front that made the liberation of Italy possible, and ultimately, led to the victory of Allied forces in Europe. Over 25,000 Canadian soldiers fought in Operation Husky, representing the entire country, and 562 lost their lives.
Operation Husky 2013
Steve Gregory was helping his son research the Sicilian Campaign for a sixth-grade school history project when he realized how little information there was about the Canadian operation. He was inspired to organize the 2013 Canadian Citizens’ Memorial Campaign in Sicily (now “Operation Husky 2013”), to be held on the 70thanniversary of the Campaign in July of 2013. Planned events of Operation Husky 2013 include revisiting the route taken by the 1st Canadian Infantry Division in 1943 and conducting remembrance ceremonies at locations of significance to the Canadian advance.
Many veterans, historians and military experts have rallied to Gregory’s cause. Among them is Dr. Lee Windsor, the lead historian and military expert at the University of New Brunswick’s Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society. Windsor has collaborated with the Canadian war history tour specialists at Explorica to design meaningful itineraries and events to truly honour the Canadian effort of 1943.
Operation Husky was a pivotal campaign for Canada’s military and a turning point in the Second World War. This important, but sadly little-known initiative deserves to be commemorated. Explorica and Operation Husky 2013 will be offering tours for teachers and students as well as war history enthusiasts and experts and the military (and their families). To find out more about itineraries and tour options, or to learn about applying for one of the student scholarships offered by the Canada Company, please contact Allison Shepstone at Explorica Canada at ashepstone@explorica.ca or 1.888.378.8845 ext 266.
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About Explorica, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Explorica Educational Travel creates educational tours that connect students to new cultures, languages and people. Through Explorica's use of exclusive online tools, they help teachers create tours uniquely suited to provide both the best value and the most customized, authentic tour experiences. For more information, call 1.888.310.7120, visit Explorica Educational Travel's Website, join Explorica on Facebook or follow Explorica on Twitter.
About Canada Company
Canada Company is a not-for-profit organization created in 2006 that brings business and community leaders from across Canada together to support Canadian soldiers in the work that they do at home and abroad. With the motto Many Ways to Serve, the organization’s focus is to make sure Canadians who serve or wish to serve in the Canadian Forces and Reserves and their families receive the widest possible support, recognition and care they deserve.
About the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society
One of UNB's distinguished research centres, The Milton F. Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society is devoted to excellence in the study of war as a complex social phenomenon. With the goal of increasing understanding of the cause, course, and consequence of armed conflict, the Gregg Centre is internationally recognized for its graduate program, undergraduate and graduate teaching, public outreach, popular and scholarly publications, and its expertise in all aspects of modern conflict.
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