104-year-old Kamloops D-Day veteran awarded King's coronation medal

The King Charles 111 Coronation Medal was presented to a 104-year-old D Day veteran by MP Frank Caputo in Kamloops today.

John Kuharski was bright and chatty at the small ceremony on the first floor of his retirement home on the North Shore as he recounted a few memories of his time serving in the Second World War.

“I don’t like talking about this stuff, you see it happen, you see people dead on the roads and stuff… I don’t know… the younger generations have no idea what is was like," Kuharski said. "There was aircraft all over the place flying, you didn’t know who the hell was going to drop something on top of you.”

The centenarian appeared happy and healthy, sitting on his walker in a large quiet room and looking nowhere near his age. His memory was sharp along with his sense of humour, even cracking a few jokes about Trump.

“You’ve got to (have a sense of humour), you gotta take the goods with the bad,” he said.

Kuharski did express concern for the future.

“I hate the thoughts of what can happen, someone is going to push the wrong button," he said. "This is the problem when people aren’t getting along with one another anymore.”

When Caputo asked what his secret to longevity, Kuharski said he didn't know.

“There is no secret, I don’t know, I always got along with people I like people, I like talking to people. You gotta get along,” he said.

The Coronation Medal was created to mark the coronation of His Majesty King Charles lll on May 6 of last year, and honours Canadians who made a significant contribution to the country, according to the Canadian Government website.

The circular silver medal shows a crowned effigy of the King with the inscriptions “CHARLES III DEI GRATIA REX” and “CANADA”.

On the other side in the background is a ring of 13 triangular shapes that look like a string of pennants that allude to the provinces and territories, and their circular arrangement represents inclusion for all Canadians.

A ring at the top holds a striped ribbon identical to the British Coronation Medal ribbon and is inspired by the King Edward VII’s Coronation Medal ribbon from 1902, which was the first Coronation Medal suspended from a ribbon.

The special medal has been awarded to 30,000 deserving individuals from across Canada.