Regina Rifles honour Indigenous members with commemoration at Peepeekisis First Nation [Video]

With 20 per cent of the Royal Regina Rifles regiment being comprised of Indigenous servicemen from across Saskatchewan, Peepeekisis First Nation held a ceremony in commemoration of its past and current First Nation veterans.

The event was dedicated to a memorial statue dedicated to the sacrifice of Royal Regina Rifles during WWII.

“We had quite a bit of members that landed at the beach where this statue is going,” explained Chief Francis Dieter of Peepeekisis First Nation.

The statue was previewed to the public in Regina earlier this month and will be permanently installed at the 80th commemoration of D-Day at Juno beach in Normandy, France.

Dieter said because there were 60 Peepeekisis men who volunteered to fight on D-Day, honouring their sacrifice in the community is essential.

“I don’t think they were afraid to fight,” Dieter said, pointing out the fact the small community saw the enlistment of so …