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Seventy-five years ago, as part of the first wave of D-Day assault troops, Lt. William Little led a floating tank troop onto Juno Beach as Canadians fought for control of their section of the Normandy coastline.

Little was injured when he emerged from his to tank to search for a way around a seawall and was hit by the shrapnel of a grenade thrown by a hidden German soldier.

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Evacuated to England, he was one of 1,074 casualties suffered by Canadian forces (359 men died) on D-Day.

But Little would not let that injury end his war.

Less than one month later, alongside three other wounded officers from the Fort Garry Horse regiment, Little snuck out of the hospital. The men made their way to Portsmouth, where they talked their way aboard a ship bound for France.

Little found his unit at Carpiquet, near Caen, where he was promptly charged with being absent without leave from hospital.

According to legend, Gen. Harry Crerar, commander of the First Canadian Army, issued a reprimand then shook Little’s hand and said, “Now go take care of the Germans.”