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Biden gives warning about democracy during D-Day 80th anniversary speech
01:31 – Source: CNN
- World leaders and veterans marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, on Thursday.
- On June 6, 1944, Allied troops from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia and Canada landed on five stretches of the German-occupied French coastline. The largest amphibious invasion in history laid the foundations for the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
- US President Joe Biden was among 20 heads of state in Normandy at a D-Day ceremony at Omaha Beach, where US forces suffered substantial losses.
- Biden and other leaders linked Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion to the D-Day operation, warning that “democracy is not guaranteed.”
Our live coverage of the 80th anniversary of D-Day has ended. Read more about D-Day here or scroll through the posts on today’s events below.
French President Emmanuel Macron closed the international ceremony marking 80 years since D-Day with a speech honoring the soldiers who fought in the largest seaborne invasion in human history and, as other leaders have done throughout the day, drawing parallels to the current geopolitical unrest — most notably the war in Ukraine.
Perhaps the strongest part of Macron’s speech was its end, in which he honored Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who was in attendance — and the Ukrainian people’s fight against Russia.
Europe has not seen the type of ground conflict that is raging in Ukraine since the end of World War II, and this year’s anniversary comes as Russian forces advance on the battlefield – handing Kyiv a series of tactical defeats and poking holes in the already fragile Western alliance opposed to the Kremlin’s war.
Robert Persichitti, a 102-year-old World War II US Navy veteran, died last week while on his way to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, according to Honor Flight Rochester, a veterans organization.
Persichitti was a “wonderful, pleasant, humble guy,” who was “easy to talk to,” said Honor Flight Rochester President and CEO Richard Stewart, who told CNN he learned of his friend’s death last Friday.
“We miss him,” said Stewart.
While Persichitti passed away bound for Normandy — where the Allied forces’ landing on June 6, 1944, laid the foundation for the defeat of Nazi Germany — he served in the Pacific as a radioman aboard the USS Eldorado, Stewart said. His tour of duty included Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Guam, according to Stewart and the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame, into which Persichitti was inducted in 2020.
Persichitti fell ill last week during a stop in Germany while headed for Normandy, Al DeCarlo, a friend who was traveling with Persichitti, told CNN affiliate WHAM. Persichitti was airlifted to the hospital and died soon after, DeCarlo said.
Persichitti had heart problems in the past, “but for 102, I would say he was in superb health,” Stewart told CNN.
Persichitti was born in a coal mining town outside Pittsburgh, Stewart said, describing his friend’s “humble, poor beginnings.” After the war, Persichitti worked as a carpentry teacher in Rochester, New York, according to the Veterans Hall of Fame, and in 1972 received a degree from SUNY Buffalo.
Former US President Donald Trump on Thursday posted a tribute to the “immortal heroes who landed at Normandy” to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
“Today, we honor the immortal heroes who landed at Normandy 80 years ago. The men of D-Day will live forever in history as among the bravest, noblest, and greatest Americans ever to walk the earth. They shed their blood, and thousands gave their lives, in defense of American Freedom. They are in our hearts today and for all time,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
French President Emmanuel Macron used the international ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day to award the Legion of Honor, France’s highest military or civilian distinction, to three more American veterans: Joseph Miller, Richard Calvin Rung and Arlester Brown.
Earlier in the day, Macron awarded the Legion of Honor to Christian Lamb, a 104-year-old British woman credited with having made the maps for the D-Day landing, and 11 other American veterans.
As the international ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Omaha Beach is underway, testimonials from those who fought in the war are currently being read out.
Along with the testimonials, musical performances are demonstrated in front of attendees.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to deliver an address later during the ceremony.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine while participating in D-Day ceremonies, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that “Ukraine matters.”
He continued, “Because anytime you see that type of support on both sides of the aisle for a cause, Congress will find a way to get things done, which is what they did in this case, because it’s the right thing to do.”
The international ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Omaha Beach has begun.
More than 20 heads of state and government and representatives from royal families across Europe are in attendance.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to deliver an address later during the ceremony.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at Thursday’s international ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day to a standing ovation and a rousing applause.
Zelensky’s presence — and Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s absence, despite Soviet Russia’s key role in winning the war in Europe — is highly symbolic given how the war in Ukraine is casting a shadow over the day’s events.
Several world leaders have already used their speeches to cast parallels between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the aggression of Nazi Germany that sparked World War II.
Watch the moment here:
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00:53 – Source: cnn
This afternoon’s international ceremony on Omaha Beach marking 80 years since the D-Day landings may very well be the last major commemoration to involve living veterans in significant numbers. Major events are held every five years, and all of the veterans are in their late 90s or early 100s.
About 200 veterans are believed to have traveled to Normandy for today’s events – approximately 150 from the United States and more than 40 from the United Kingdom. Another 15 were part of the Canadian delegation that made the transatlantic trip.
Delion told reporters in April that organizers were attempting to do everything they could to make the ceremony as easy as possible for the centenarians in attendance. Their rehearsals even included wheelchair runs, Delion said.
Among the measures Delion said he and his team were planning on taking were keeping the ceremonies less than an hour in length and trying to ensure they start on time so that the centenarians wouldn’t spend too much time seated.
A handful of veterans also arrived at the ceremony after many official dignitaries and heads of state and government, in a break with normal protocol for these types of events.
Delion said in April that French organizers were considering such a move as a means of making the ceremony easier on vets.
Among those awarded a Legion of Honor — France’s highest civilian and military award — today was British woman Christian Lamb.
Lamb, now 104 years old, enlisted in the army in 1939 as a first aid worker before eventually joining the Women’s Royal Navy Service – also known as the Wrens.
She proved herself as a capable mariner, and was quickly promoted through the ranks, ultimately posted to Winston Churchill’s War Rooms in London, where Britain’s war operations were planned.
She is credited with having made the maps for the D-Day landing.
Jake Larson, veteran and TikTok star, said that heroes gave up their life so that he could make it, while discussing the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
“I don’t think I was a hero. I, I was just like everybody else. We, we were all in this together,” he told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
Asked if he’d come back to Normandy again, Larson said, “Yes, I’d come back again just to honor all those that gave their life so that I could be here.”
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01:25 – Source: cnn
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02:40 – Source: cnn
It’s been a perfect day for a “duck” ride on the shores of Normandy.
These World War II-era DUKWs — amphibious vehicles that became known more fondly as “ducks” — helped bring in around 40% of all supplies that came ashore on the beaches of Normandy starting on D-Day until mid-July.
They were crucial in bringing weapons and equipment straight from ships far from the coast, all the way up to the advancing front lines — so much so that the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, regarded them as as “one of the most valuable pieces of equipment produced by the United States during the war.”
Eighty years on, the ducks are back off the coast of Normandy. Many are maintained by civilians like Denis Le Priol, who’s owned his for 30 years. He works year round and at great expense to keep his duck in working order. Every year on the anniversary of the largest amphibious landing in history, Le Priol brings his duck down to Arromanches-les-Bains — one of the beaches where British forces landed — “out of a duty of memory”
“A lot of people died for our freedom and I need to help the young generation understand what happened here,” he said.
He said his favorite part is taking kids on board to pique their interest in what happened here.
“No amount of school books can achieve that,” he says.
World leaders have come together on the beaches of Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are among more than 20 heads of state and government attending events on Thursday being held across Normandy to honor the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who fought there.
In his first overseas trip since being diagnosed with cancer, Britain’s King Charles III participated in a commemoration this morning held at the British Normandy Memorial, where he delivered a speech honoring those who fought in the Battle for Normandy and the French civilians and resistance fighters who lost their lives during World War II.
The British commemoration concluded with Charles and Macron, along with their spouses, laying wreaths to honor the troops who lost their lives.
Trudeau honored Canada’s efforts during the D-Day landing and the sacrifices of the country’s soldiers in a speech at his country’s commemoration in the small Norman town of Corseulles-sur-Mer on Thursday morning.
During the US D-Day 80-year anniversary commemoration at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, those in attendance heard Macron, Biden, Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission Charles Djou and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin give thanks to veterans and honored several who made the journey back to Normandy.
As the day continues, towns across Normandy are hosting their own events. A larger international event organized by the French will also be held on Omaha Beach, where American troops suffered their heaviest casualties on D-Day.
British paratroopers were greeted by French customs officials when they landed in a Normandy field Wednesday as part of Thursday’s D-Day commemorations.
Following Brexit, British citizens face enhanced border checks when entering the European Schengen zone.
Watch the moment here:
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00:30 – Source: cnn
French President Emmanuel Macron honored 11 American veterans with the Legion of Honor, France’s highest civilian and military award.
Macron told the veterans he was honoring them “for your bravery, for your service to our freedom.”
The award was created in 1802 by Napoleon.
Here are the following American veterans who were given the honor:
- Hilbert Margol
- John Wardell
- Robert Pedigo
- Calvin Shiner
- Edward Berthold
- Dominick Critelli
- Bill Cassasa
- Victor Chaney
- Raymond Glansberg
- Richard Stewart
- John Kinyon
About 150 American veterans made the journey to Normandy to commemorate the anniversary, about two dozen of whom fought on D-Day, according to Charles Djou, the secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), the independent agency responsible for managing US military cemeteries and monuments overseas.
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02:29 – Source: cnn
Eighty years to the day after the “Placid Lassie’” first flew in the skies above France, towing American soldiers in a glider into battle, she soared once again over Normandy.
A troop-carrying C-47 aircraft, the Placid Lassie is one of seven World War II-era aircraft taking part in D-Day commemorations this week, kept flying by teams of volunteer pilots and mechanics.
Most of these aircraft from the United States-based D-Day squadron, an organization that put together the Placid Lassie’s trip to Normandy this year alongside several other similar aircraft.
The journey took six days, as these aircraft were built for flight during another era. They require fuel, tools and spare parts not readily available on the market today, Zipkin said.
Zipkin believes that flying these planes is one of the most important ways to bring the history of WWII to life – second only to the stories shared by the dwindling number of living veterans.
Without modern avionics, navigation or communication equipment, flying the aircraft is a visceral and tactile experience, one that demands mastering a new way of flying, Zipkin said.
However, growing costs and the advanced age of the air frames may make this the last time the public sees such a large formation of these veteran birds in flight in Europe.
He estimated that it costs the owners of the planes each $150,000 to $200,000 to make the journey one way.
As celebrations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day are underway, actor Tom Hanks spoke with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour about democracy, saying he believes the US and Western societies “cannot help but turn towards what is right.”
“Our Constitution says, ‘we the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union.’ That journey to a more perfect union has missteps in it,” Hanks said.
Watch here:
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01:39 – Source: cnn
Speaking at a commemoration service marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, US President Joe Biden warned “the price of unchecked tyranny is the blood of the young and the brave.”
His comments come on a day that Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion has been a major theme and frequent parallels have been drawn by numerous leaders. In his speech, the president drew direct parallels between Nazi Germany and the threats facing Western democracies today.
Here’s what else to know about Biden’s speech:
- Tribute to veterans: At the start of the speech, Biden turned to veterans present at the commemoration and thanked them for their service.
- Biden honored “band of brothers:” Naming several veterans who made the journey back to Normandy during his speech by name.
- He acknowledged people of color and women who served in the war, noting that hundreds of thousands of people “courageously served despite unjust limitation on what they could do for their nation.”
- The president acknowledged it may be the last ceremony with living veterans, which he said should inspire Americans to continue their fight against tyranny.
US President Joe Biden acknowledged that this year’s commemoration of D-Day may be the last to involve living veterans, a fact that he said must push Americans to continue the fight against tyranny.