"The landing craft drove onto the shore at 6.30 in the morning, within a minute of the time of H-Hour. I jumped off into four feet of water. Never before in my life had I wanted so badly to run, but I could only wade slowly forward. It was approximately 100 yards to the edge of the shore and it took me two minutes to reach the shallow water. Those two minutes were extremely long. Even on the beach I couldn't run as my uniform was sodden and heavy and my legs were numb and cramped.
Heavy shells commenced exploding on the beach, as well as sporadic mortar fire from a short distance inland. A soldier just ahead of me was blown to pieces by direct hit. The instant it happened, something small hit me in the stomach- it was the man's thumb. About then, General Theodore Roosevelt Junior came striding along the beach. He was waving his cane and bellowing at everybody to get moving across the dunes. We kept moving as fast as possible. Some enemy riflemen began firing at me, so I picked myself up and began to run forward over the top of the dunes. Facing me were five of the enemy. I shot the one with his hand raised to hurl a grenade, the rest threw down their rifles and put up their hands. I handed them over to a wounded corporal and went forward again."
Captain George Mayberry, aged 24

From Nothing Less Than Victory, by Russell Miller

Here is a CBC page on Canada's role in D-Day.