D-Day veterans gather on Normandy’s Omaha Beach to commemorate 80th anniversary of allies’ assault on Nazis
Heroic D-Day veterans gathered on Omaha Beach in Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the historic battle against the Nazis.
Dozens of former American soldiers visited the scene France On Tuesday, many of them celebrated their centenary and probably returned to France for the last time.
Veterans became emotional as they remembered fallen friends paid tribute to the tens of thousands who lost their lives on the beaches in 1944.
“These people looked death in the eye and just kept coming,” Walter Stitt, a 99-year-old former tank commander who fought that day, told the Associated Press.
Stitt summed up the solemn atmosphere on the beach, saying they were there to pay respects to “all those young men who never had the chance to go home and find the love of their lives and their children in their arms hold.’
Heroic D-Day veteran Richard Ramsey salutes the graves at the Normandy American Cemetery on Tuesday, June 4, 2024
US paratrooper veteran George Cross, 99, shares a moment with a young child on the 80th anniversary of the historic land invasion
An American soldier takes a photo of American WWII veteran Sid Edson, center left, during a ceremony on Omaha Beach
During Tuesday’s event, the veterans made a pilgrimage to the five Allied landing beaches, where British, American and Canadian troops stormed the coastline.
More than 4,400 Allied soldiers were killed as they pushed back the German troops. Standing on the beach 80 years later, Stitt declared that there are “things worth fighting for.”
“Although I wish there was another way than trying to kill each other. But sometimes you are asked to do something and you just do it. You know? That is it. These people looked death in the eye and just kept coming.”
Footage from the event showed children playing around a memorial to the dead, while Lliliburn ‘Bill’ Wall, who celebrates his 101st birthday this week, said: “They probably wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t been successful.”
The commemoration comes just days before world leaders gather in France to pay tribute to the heroes of D-Day, at a time when increased tensions worldwide make remembering the sacrifices of past generations all the more important.
Bob Gibson, 100, said he only made it because “the old boy upstairs took care of me,” as he remembered the thousands who fought by his side.
“You don’t want other people to go through the same thing,” he said. “Because I’ve seen a lot of these guys who haven’t even made it to the beach, believe me. And we were all 18, 19 years old.”
A number of active-duty U.S. soldiers (pictured) joined the veterans at the 80th anniversary event
Veteran Andre Chappaz greets the crowd as he arrives at the solemn tribute
An American soldier touches the sand on Omaha Beach, where more than 4,400 Allied troops were killed 80 years ago
Veteran Bill Wall (left) flew bombers in World War II while fighting over Normandy with Bob Todesco (right)
Footage from the event showed children playing around a memorial to the tens of thousands who lost their lives on D-Day, while veterans said they ‘probably wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t been successful’
Of the more than 4,400 Allied troops killed on D-Day, more than 2,500 were American troops.
The invasion along the coastline led the Allies to gradually push the Nazis back through France, ultimately resulting in the death of Adolf Hitler less than a year later.
When they reached the French coast 80 years ago, Allied forces sent more than 132,000 men on thousands of ships in what was the largest sea invasion in history.
Robet Pedigo, 100, who served as a nose gunner aboard a B-24 bomber that flew over the ships as they transported troops to Normandy, recalled, “It felt like you could walk across the Channel using boats as stepping stones.”
He said he remembered flying back to base after D-Day to find that thousands had died under him, and said to this day, “the emotional impact was the greatest.”
An American flag stands alone on Omaha Beach ahead of the 80th anniversary event
Veteran Art Medeiros, one of 60 surviving D-Day heroes flown to Normandy for the tribute, points to the ocean during the event
Gene Kleindl, a 102-year-old veteran of the historic day, gets a kiss Tuesday while visiting the Normandy American Cemetery
Active duty American soldiers stand in position at Pointe du Hox prior to the D-Day commemoration
The gathering of American veterans was organized in part by Delta Airlines and the Best Defense Foundation, which flew 60 surviving D-Day veterans to Normandy for the historic anniversary.
It is our privilege to celebrate and honor these heroes by flying them directly to Normandy and recognizing their incredible sacrifices and contributions to the world,” the airline’s CEO Ed Bastian said of the event.
Pedigo was among those who made the trip, his local Indiana outlet said 953MNC that he felt it was ‘a unique journey for me’.
‘The last time I saw France was from the air, 80 years ago. I will finally be able to pay my respects to the 9,000 troops who never came home,” said the veteran, who flew 30 missions over France and Germany during World War II.
‘That day is etched in my memory. We owe them everything and are a free country today because of their sacrifices. I am honored to be part of this historic event.”
