COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France — World War II veterans arrived to fanfare this morning at the Normandy American Cemetery, where world leaders and luminaries will laud those who freed Europe from Nazi tyranny on this date 80 years ago.

The anniversary of the D-Day invasion comes as even the youngest veterans of that day are approaching their 100th birthday, making today’s event an opportunity to pass the living memory of WWII on to younger generations.

President Joe Biden will speak this afternoon at the cemetery, where he is expected to draw parallels between the fight against authoritarianism in World War II and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to attend. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who welcomed veterans to the ceremony, is scheduled to speak to the crowd.

Actor Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg were also among the spectators who arrived at the cemetery early Thursday morning.

A larger international ceremony at nearby Omaha Beach, where many Americans lost their lives on D-Day as they stormed the shore in the face of heavy fire, will follow the memorial.

American Canadian and British troops also landed at beaches codenamed Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend the international remembrance.

King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were scheduled to honor British troops at Sword, while Prince William and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will participate in a ceremony for Canadian troops who landed at Juno.

Hundreds of smaller memorials and commemoration events have been held throughout Normandy in the run-up to the anniversary.

By Phillip Walter Wellman
Phillip is a reporter and photographer for Stars and Stripes, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany. From 2016 to 2021, he covered the war in Afghanistan from Stripes’ Kabul bureau. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics. 

Source – Stars and Stripes I  Connect Savannah republishing with permission and full attribution to Stars and Stripes I https://www.stripes.com/

Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/special-reports/featured/d-day/2024-06-05/pointe-du-hoc-ceremony-14090529.html

This article appears in Connect Savannah I Best of Savannah.