Bonds of friendship form among people who have never before met as they undertake an arduous journey: a trek 300 demanding kilometers through the central mountains of Sicily in the hottest month of the year. They have one thing in common -- a determination to honour the sacrifice of Canadian soldiers during WW2 by reclaiming lost history. Some walk in the footsteps of their fathers, seeking to learn something important that their dads never talked about. Most know they don't have what it takes physically to complete the journey, but are determined to try.
They are part of Operation Husky 2013 – an unprecedented series of commemorative events that take place over three weeks in July 2013 in Sicily, on the 70th anniversary of the original Operation Husky in 1943. They have come a great distance -- 7000 km and an ocean away from their comfortable homes and lives in Canada. Now they are embarking on a physically-challenging 20-day odyssey that takes them to unexpected emotional and spiritual places.
As they travel, they experience the meaning of remembrance in ways no other Canadians have done before them. As they walk, we learn about Canadian sacrifices of the past and our country's role in the liberation of Europe from fascism in WW2. And how much it means to the people who live where those battles were fought, and about their losses too.
Alongside the film, a full interative digital experience was released. It extends the TV experience to a day-by-day journey through Sicily, from 1943 and 2013. Scroll through history and find a rich experience at every one of the 62 stops.
Visit the Bond of Strangers – The Op Husky Digital Experience.
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