As the world stops to mark the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings, Canadian veteran Stanley Fields still isn't sure how he survived the terrifying invasion.

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces attacked an 80-kilometre stretch of France's Normandy coast, which the Germans had littered with land mines, obstacles and machine-gun nests.

The Canadians were sent to Juno Beach while the rest of the allies attacked four other beaches along the Normandy coast: Utah, Omaha, Gold and Sword.

As a member of the 5th Field Company of the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE), it was Fields' job to clear the German obstacles and land mines from Juno Beach.

"We were all excited before we landed and when we landed everything started to bust out with shells coming and machine guns firing," 90-year-old Fields, a section corporal, told CTV.ca in a recent interview from Ottawa.

"We got down to working on our obstacle business and forgot about other things and did what we were supposed to be doing and that was it."

Fields said the obstacles -- about six feet high and one foot thick -- all had a land mine placed on top of them by the Germans.

He recounted the memory of a friend who tried to take a landmine off one of the obstacles.

"He just took his landmine off of it and was laying it down and all of a sudden he got killed," Fields said.

The Canadians managed to clear about 1,700 feet of obstacles and mines, creating a large area for trucks and boats to get in closer to the beach. Fields admitted he was terrified.

"Damn right we were scared. But like I say the scared-ness left just as soon as you started to work, because you weren't thinking anything else but to get this damn job done the best you can, so that's what we did," Fields said.

The co-ordinated attack is credited with helping to weaken Nazi Germany's grip on France and much of Europe, eventually leading to the Nazi's defeat in May 1945.

Of the 249 men in Fields' unit, six were killed that day and 17 others badly wounded.

"I wasn't injured, I was very lucky but the fellows behind me and beside me they both got it," Fields said.

He said he still wonders why it wasn't he who died that day on Juno Beach.

"I prayed to God to protect me,'" said Fields.

"I said on the boat 'Lord if you're going to take me, take me now.'"

But Fields survived and helped build bridges as Allied forces moved inland.

Aside from the memories, Fields' nickname from the war, "Gracie," has stayed with him over the years -- based on "Gracie Fields," a popular singer at the time.

"Some guy stuck Gracie on me and it's been Gracie every since," he said.

Fields will mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day Saturday at a commemorative ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

"It's an honour for us to be there to honour them, all the soldiers feel like that."