World leaders gathered in Normandy on June 6 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, one of the largest military operations in history. At the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer and at Omaha Beach, the few hundred veterans who survived that fatal day were honoured for their bravery as crowds of emotional participants looked on.
In vast contrast to the fog that blurred the horizon on June 6, 1944, the sky was a clear jet blue. Eighty years since the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day to help liberate France from the stranglehold of Nazi occupation, people from around the world had travelled to northern France to honour those who lost their lives that fatal day.
With only a few hundred veterans still alive to tell their stories, many of whom are in their 90s and in frail health, this may have been the last major anniversary to count D-Day survivors among its participants.
“I am not usually very into history, but being here brought me a whole new perspective,” said Justin Mcclaren, an American serviceman working in the public relations department for the US Army. Stationed in Germany, he has attended many military events across Europe in recent years, but this was his first time in France.
“We had a very emotional encounter with a veteran the other day who landed close to Sainte-Mère-Église,” Mcclaren said, referring to the town in which the US 82nd Airborne Division landed on D-Day. “He told us he had parachuted into a greenhouse, so we decided to escort him to that very same place. The greenhouse had been repaired since and was still standing,” he said as he ushered press and participants to their allocated seats in the American Cemetery ahead of the US ceremony.
“I was very moved to see he had tears streaming down his cheeks,” Mcclaren said, his eyes glimmering.
‘History come alive’ at the Normandy American Cemetery
Two large staffs hoisted bright flags against the morning sun, marking the red-carpet walkway leading to a stage, where the US ceremony for the 80th anniversary of D-Day took place.
Propped on a hill overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel, the Normandy American Cemetery is home to the graves of 9,387 American troops, most of whom died on June 6, 1944. It was inaugurated on July 18, 1956, and spans nearly 70 hectares in total. Some 12,000 participants attended the momentous event aimed at commemorating the efforts of the 59,000 US soldiers who took part in Operation Overlord – the codename for the Normandy landings.
The watchwords for this year’s ceremony were “homage” and “transmission”, the latter of which is a motivating force for many who travelled from afar to attend. Ashley Harris and her husband had come from New York with their three children aged one, six and 11 to see the commemorations. “We wanted them to see the veterans. It is history come alive,” said Harris, clutching her daughter Hunter close to her.
Both Harris and her husband are descendants of World War II veterans. “My grandfather was in the US Navy and fought on D-Day, and my husband’s grandfather also fought during the war. He was in the British Army,” she explained. “[Our children] did not get to meet their great-grandparents, so it is important for us that they can see these incredibly heroic veterans.”
The traits that kept a handful of lucky US soldiers alive until now are values that Harris and her husband want to instill in their children. “This is a day that changed the course of history. It embodies the great bravery and heroism of our forefathers,” she said with a smile. “And there is no better way of passing that down then for our children to see [those traits] in person, to breathe and live them.”
Participants were asked to take a seat and the ceremony began. One by one, around 50 veterans made their way to the main stage donning their army attire – decorated with the pins and badges they had collected over the years. The emotion was palpable, with onlookers already shedding tears as close-ups of the elderly survivors were cast on large screens.
“D-Day should be a vital topic. It changed the world entirely and is the reason we are free today,” says Sabine, a French security worker, as her eyes darted to the stage. Shortly after, French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden made their way to the front in unison, with their respective partners Brigitte Macron and Jill Biden by their sides.
After the crowd stood for the French and US national anthems, Macron took to the stage to award 11 US veterans with the Legion of Honour – France’s highest decoration, both military and civil. Seeing the emotions in the veterans’ eyes, Sabine couldn’t help but cry herself. “I will keep coming back to these ceremonies as much as possible. For me, it is a duty,” she said.
As he briefly took the mic to speak to the last survivors of D-Day, Macron referred to the Normandy American Cemetery as “a sanctuary”. Turning to the men he officially designated as heroes, he said: “You came here to join your efforts with our own soldiers and to make France a free nation. And you are back here today, at home, if I may say so.”
Speeches by US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Biden marked the end of the ceremony. “If you want to see the price of freedom, come here to Normandy,” Biden said sternly, his sober speech ending with a warning. “Democracy is never guaranteed,” he concluded.
As F-35 military jets flew overhead, the crowd erupted in applause and the two heads of state made their way out to attend the next event – the international ceremony at Omaha Beach.
An ode to Ukraine at Omaha Beach
Clouds slowly began to roll in as people made their way down to the beach known as “Bloody Omaha”. One of the most famous landing sites of Operation Overlord, it was also one of the deadliest. The US first Infantry assault experienced the worst ordeal of D-Day. A total of 2,500 US troops were killed here after being met with intense fire from German soldiers.
Around a dozen political leaders and heads of state attended the ceremony, including Prince William, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But it was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who stole the show. Dressed in his usual army-green T-shirt and beige khakis, his entrance to the ceremony stage was met with an ecstatic uproar from the audience. As he and his wife Olena Zelenska shook hands with their suited-up counterparts, the cheers continued.
Hundreds of veterans from the US, Canada and France were also present. However, only a select few made their way onto the ceremony stage, shaking the hands of political leaders as they took their places.
Swept up by the excitement around them, two students from a neurodivergent middle school in Paris shrieked with joy. “It’s incredible to be here. The veterans who came to help us, who resisted and liberated us, are here!” beamed 14-year-old Omar. “We are lucky to have been invited and to see these people, some of who are 100 years old.”
Alice, his schoolmate, echoed his enthusiasm. “It’s cold but it’s amazing to see these people. There are world leaders, there is Prince William. And all these soldiers!” she said with a smile. “I am sad that King Charles isn’t here, though,” she added jokingly.
A string of performances followed as the audience took their seats. Schoolchildren danced in unison as they sang a choral song, French Navy members marched on stage with bagpipes and drums as paratroopers floated onto the sandy shores of Omaha Beach and European flags were waved to the sound of “Ode to Joy”, the official EU anthem.
In a closing act, Macron took to the stage for a speech. After recounting the deadly events that took place eight decades ago, he addressed the crowd with the same sternness as Biden did at the American Cemetery. “Faced with the return of war to our continent [in Ukraine] … and in the face of those who claim to change borders by force or rewrite history, let us be worthy of those who landed here,” he declared, in reference to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. Turning to Zelensky, he continued. “Thank you to the Ukrainian people for their bravery, for their taste of freedom. We are here and we will not be weakened.”
On this momentous occasion, the fight for Ukraine seems to echo the struggle for freedom on D-Day. Not only for the political leaders taking part in today’s commemoration, but also for participants.
Back at the Normandy American Cemetery, a group of volunteers for Ukraine Focus – a US charity providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine – took part in the 80th anniversary of the Landings as a stopover on their way to deliver 45 to 50 ambulances to the war-torn country.
“We are leaving tomorrow. We will drive to the border and the Ukraine national guard is going to take over the vehicles from there. Then we will head to Kyiv and Bucha,” explained Robert ‘Bob’ Allen, a 78-year-old volunteer from San Diego. “It is a pretty special occasion. One ambulance can save around 10,000 people,” he said.
Having recently discovered that much of his family, including four cousins, had fought in World War II, Allen felt very grateful to be at the commemorations. “I keep finding out more about my family’s involvement, which really motivated me to come here today and take this journey for the charity,” he said with a smile.
“I was shedding tears walking through the cemetery,” he said, holding back some more that undoubtedly streamed down his cheeks as he said goodbye to the historic site.
