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WA‘i'uiioo comment . Wednesday. May 7, 2014 - a a: "1 ’ $115 g“. 1. g 1 we . f s 1 he ”1911211151111 .: . .. at "7:15; A . 1 MT". b . may 1. up .‘ J. » 1 “a “ I 11” Q1 45111111 1 Av 1» ~ 1.1 ~ Meow“ ,t- -. rag , , a: -; . z 11 1 , ~ ”if 1 wfiifia a 1 v . x: , A . 1; ~' -» 1,2. g; r“ ‘ ' if ,. x. ' 1111.31 “fl“. ? ’“°’“*‘* 1 . 1 .f . 111 3 . 171 " was: , . . t b I 32?” «filthy. Y‘ 1 , 1 is; I“; V ' " , 211.1” f” . t 4331: Y""t:1. mm " if; , i _ ,, 1 Y:.-.".'Y ‘ fist if??? "I I“ if" ‘ Sf 3 ,. ' ‘ r; t, _ "if” ' "r . ‘ i' ‘ v IQ will 1! 31 b» V i 13 ‘ \"' 3: *’,‘ a» a). :" . fl I e . ”y 511- “v--‘.” I. . . . . . UW student vmts Second World War battlefields decades afier great- uncle nearly paid ultimate price Brunt-31m gesturing from his chest to his waist, Today. Bonfonte is the last surviving said before she left. “And [also want to see 7 ,, 7 ..- ”twitch Sui? ,, 7 7 ,, His next memory is waking up inside the member of his platoon, but has never been the sites that my uncle fought at. and it'll be ‘ Victoria Rain Station in London, anland. back to the battlefield that nearly claimed a good bonding experience with my dad.” Donald Bonfonte is lucky to be alive. and “A beautiful woman was standing there. 1 his life seven decades ago, Mansz has a strong interest in anthropol he hears the scars to prove it. said, ‘Am I in heaven? Since late April, ogy and this past year she took a course that Nearly 70 years ago, Pvt. Ronfonte. then a Are you an angel?" She though, his great-niece focused on genocide. She struggles to member of the Royal Highland Regiment of was putting cigarettes has been in Amster» understand how the mass extermination of (anada, almost never returned home from in our mouths." dam and will soon set the lewish population in Europe by the the Battle ofVerrieres Ridge in France as pan Honfonte suffered out to visit several Sec- Nazis could have happened. ofthe Battle of Normandy followrng l) Day numerous shrapnel 0nd World War sites “I think it's really important to remember On lulv 25, 1944, while hits platoon wounds to his body, lasmine Mansz may and educate people about it. not just so they (tossed an open field in westem frame a including one to his even Visit the area remember how much people sacrificed in pair of hidden (wrinan tanks were stalking right foot that left him where her great uncle the past but so that they can make sure that them Once the (anadiaris were exposed, “unable to meet the was hurt, treat the t‘ity doesn't happen again." Manx! said. the tanks opened fired required military phys- oft'aen Bonfonte may have only spent a fevs " l’hf-y opened up wrtli machine guns ical standards." accord- [he 19 year old weeks iii war torn frame. but about 23 first, then they pointed the (tank) barrel ing to army dot u1 University of Waterloo years ago he learned he still carried a small 1 right at me." lionfonte recalled as he sat in merits He was sent NW" MhMM_ Donald Bonfome, student left for laurope, piece ofthe conflict With him the living room of his apartment at the ( lair home later that year who w“ nearly killed during the Second last Sunday With about After experiencing a seizure one Sunda\ llills Retirement (kimmunity and formally dis World War “3on Jam-"ne Mann and it) other students from on his way home from church, an X ra\ “I” hadn't crawled away that shell would 1 harged on Dec 20, her greahmde her knowledge Integral revealed a piece of shrapnel and a fragment have landed right where I was laying 1944 nearly three tiori course to tour the of his own skull were still inside his head. "ll" lucky to be alive." he added " llieie years after he first enlisted on fan 20, I‘M! t it\ and study its museums and other sites A few years later, a chest X ray found a were a lot olgiiys killed ' He had only been in frame for about (in lriday Maris/ wrll meet With her hlnt k spot in Bonfonte's back, rust a fevs Hf the it": members of the Royal lligh three weeks when the attai k (K curred. and father, Paul and together they'll toiir war centimeters away from his kidney arioth larid regiment that set out that morning, ll'v had spent the previous two years stationed and t iiltiiral sites in l ta in e (it-rtriaiiy er piet'l‘ofshmpriel were either killed. Itljllfl‘ll or t aptured. mak Ill l “gland Poland and Holland After his own unt le died of shrapnel mg \errieres Ridge one of t anadas worst Despite his iniurt-d foot, Bonfonte lhat iritliidesthe(an1idian I) ”as muse wounds during the First World War. Hon battles of the Net ond World War worked on the assembly line at the lll‘slro um in Normandy the l irst World Writ fonte's sears evoke memories of lost tom After the explosion. the next thing he home plant in k’itt herier for $9 years lll' memorial at “my Ridge and the Mischwit/ rades lt'sa reminder of |ust how lll( ky he I\ remembers is waking up in a hospital tent married his wife, Doreen, in l‘lSl and had Hitkettaii t ont entratitin 1 amp iti Poland "My foot is sore even morning.“ he said With a «lot tor peering over him "i th‘rt‘tl in one daughter Diane lbe couple moved to 'I want to learn more about first World as he pulls tip his pant leg and points to a blood from here to here," llorifotite said Waterloo from kilt better about 30 wars ago Mar and Set orid World War history." Mans) pale Whl't' st at "Mid it reminds me " . 1 “er a; . ' ’ wrru'1{‘““ ° l. ' Y . . - - ow l f b. - ‘ ,, - . 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