COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (CN) — On Thursday morning at the Normandy American Cemetery, the skies were clear and the sun cast shadows over nearly 9,400 white crosses marking the graves of the American soldiers who died during and after the Allied invasion.
On June 6, 1944 — 80 years ago to the day — the Allied forces stormed Normandy’s coast in a battle that changed the course of the war, shifting the balance in the Allies’ favor. The cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach, which saw more deaths than any of the other four landing sites. It was probably a very similar day — clear, low tide and low winds, elements that were critical to the operation's success.
First ladies Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron joined their husbands — President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron — alongside World War II veterans, some of whom took part in the D-Day landings.
Former Secretary of State John Kerry, actor Tom Hanks and director Stephen Spielberg greeted attendees before the ceremony. The commemoration began with a procession of centenarian veterans who were escorted onto the stage, many in wheelchairs and covered with blankets, past a row of French and American flags.
Around 1:15 p.m., C-130s — big, gray military transport planes — zoomed overhead. After the French and U.S. national anthems played, Macron spoke about the symbolic value of the site itself.
“This is one of the most moving places in France — we sense the history, heroism of people,” Macron said.
The French president turned the conversation toward the veterans, highlighting individual achievements and recounting stories about their time in the military. Freedom, independence and camaraderie were some of the throughline themes of his address. He awarded about a dozen American veterans the Legion of Honor, France's highest military merit.
“Here you are, today, by our sides,” he added, addressing the veterans in the audience. “You took all possible risks in order to assure our independence, and our freedom, and we will not forget this.”
“You are back here today, at home, if I may say,” he said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke predominantly about the people who fought during D-Day.
“On behalf of the United States Department of Defense, I am here to give thanks, as inadequate as that word may be,” Austin said. “We thank every Allied warrior who fought for freedom on June 6, 1944.”
Austin focused on democracy today and the importance of honoring the principles that the Allied armies carried on D-Day. Around 40 minutes into the ceremony, Biden took the stand.
“You laid the foundation for a more just, free and decent world,” he said. “Together with our allies, we built peace out of war.”
Biden also evoked the concept of democracy, and “the battle between freedom and tyranny” that took place on Omaha Beach 80 years ago. He discussed the importance of D-Day as a military operation, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s strategic decision to hold the invasion until weather improved — one that proved critically important.
Nearly 160,000 troops descended on Normandy, Biden said, before turning his focus on some of the D-Day veterans in the audience.
“Nearly 10,000 are buried side by side … immigrants and native born, different races, different faces, but all Americans served with honor when the world needed them most,” Biden said. “They understood that our democracy is only as strong as we all make it together.
“Here, we prove that the forces of liberty are stronger than conquest,” he said. “We prove something else as well — the unbreakable unity of the Allies.”
He highlighted the U.S. and Europe's efforts to rebuild following two world wars and the establishment of NATO, the “greatest alliance in the world,” with 32 current members.
“Isolation was not the answer 80 years ago and is not the answer today,” Biden said.
He linked the fight for democracy to the situation in Ukraine, which he said has been invaded by a “tyrant” but will never back down.
“We will not walk away,” he said, adding that without support for Ukraine, Russia's neighbors and all of Europe will be threatened.
“To bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable,” Biden said. “Make no mistake — we will not bow down, we will not forget.”
The commemoration — in addition to paying homage to the soldiers who fought in World War II — offered an opportunity for the U.S. and France to show strength and unity in the face of the volatile political situation in Europe and the election year in the U.S.
The president hammered home his final message: Americans must defend and fight for freedom and democracy, which is never guaranteed.
“History tells us freedom is not free,” Biden said.
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