Uxbridge, Ontario
Mr. Barris is an author, broadcaster and historian. During more than 40 years of research and interviews with countless Veterans, Mr. Barris has authored numerous military books, many of which became best sellers, including: Behind the Glory: the Plan That Won the Allied Air War; Days of Victory: Canadians Remember 1939 1945; Deadlock in Korea: Canadians at War 1950 1953; Breaking the Silence: Veterans’ Untold Stories from the Great War to Afghanistan, and his most popular military history book, JUNO: Canadians at D Day, June 6, 1944. The Korea Veterans Association of Canada (KVA) awarded Mr. Barris an honorary lifetime membership in the KVA in recognition of his work documenting the role of Canadian soldiers during the Korean War. In 2004, Mr. Barris was involved in fund raising activities for the Durham Public School Board to send secondary school students to Normandy in June 2004, and to Hong Kong in November 2005. In 1999, as a journalism professor at Centennial College in Toronto, Mr. Barris reinstituted Remembrance Day activities, where Veterans are invited to speak and a full remembrance service is observed. Mr. Barris has been a keynote speaker for numerous clubs, schools and Veterans’ associations across the country, and he makes regular media appearances with CTV, CBC, TVO and Rogers Communications on Veterans’ issues. Each year, Mr. Barris acts as a guide to several Second World War sites in Europe. Through his books and public appearances, Mr. Barris continues to raise awareness of remembrance. Mr. Barris is a recipient of the Canada 125 Medal.