This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, which led to the Allied liberation of France and Western Europe, and more importantly the defeat of Nazi Germany. While it is certainly a time to celebrate the exploits of the Greatest Generation, given the passage of time, it will almost certainly be the last significant anniversary to see those who took were there still around to take part.
As CNN reported, Jack Foy – who is also a surviving of the Battle of the Bulge – joins the remaining veterans who made a pilgrimage back to Normandy this year. At 99 years old, Foy was described as “the youngster among his group of friends.”
Major commemorations have been held every five years, and organizers along with French government officials have acknowledged that 2024 will likely be the last to involve living veterans.
“We are perfectly aware that for these centenarians, this is maybe the last chance to return to the beaches where they landed, where they fought and where their brothers-in-arms fell,” Gen. Michel Delion, the CEO of the French government agency in charge of the French commemoration efforts, Mission Liberation, told CNN.
Around one-third of the adult male population served in the military during the Second World War, but according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, less than one percent is still alive.
Getting the Vets to France
As young men, many barely out of high school, those who would storm the beaches or parachute into France on June 6, 1944, first took a boat ride to England, where they engaged in months of training. This week, the trip was a bit more comfortable for more than five dozen World War II veterans.
Sixty-six of them, each accompanied by a family member or companion, gathered in Texas after being chosen to make an “honor flight” aboard a chartered 747 provided by American Airlines. At Dallas Forth Worth International Airport they were joined by six Medal of Honor winners from wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam as well as by two “Rosie the Riveters” – the women who contributed to the war effort in factories and shipyards.
In total, 280 individuals were in the entourage back to Normandy.
The average age of the 66 World War II veterans was reported to be just shy of 101, with the oldest being 107 while the youngest was 95. Those men and women arriving on the honor flight will join hundreds of others who have headed back to Normandy to mark the milestone anniversary.
Mass Parachute Event and a Motorcycle Parade
Each spring, Normandy transforms from a relatively quiet coastal region on the English Channel in Northern France into the literal ground zero for the largest festival marking the liberation of Europe during the Second World. The region’s cities and villages host parades and other celebrations, while the cemeteries hold more somber gatherings that honor those who gave their lives in the invasion and in the weeks that followed. The celebrations kicked off on Saturday, June 1, with more than 20 huge firework displays that lit up the sky simultaneously over the five landing beaches.
Dozens of World War II-themed events have been underway since, and that included small historic reenactments, memorials, and even a mass parachute drop. On Sunday, dozens dropped from three World War II C-47 transport aircraft – the same planes that delivered members of the British and U.S. Airborne divisions to Normandy 80 years ago.
Two of the aircraft – christened “That’s All, Brother” and “Placid Lassie,” – were actual “D-Day veterans.” Those two planes were among the thousands of C-47s and other aircraft that took to the skies on June 6, 1944. The C-47s took off from Duxford, England, and made the same roughly 90-minute flight to Carentan, France.
This time it was a bit different, however.
For one the flight took place during the day instead of at night, and more importantly, there was no anti-aircraft fire that greeted the aircraft. Sunday’s jumpers included an international civilian team of parachutists, many former soldiers. Among them was one woman, 61-year-old Dawna Bennett.
On the ground on Tuesday, approximately 150 U.S. Army vintage Harley Davidson motorcycles took part in a road parade not far from the D-Day beaches. Many of the participants donned World War II-style uniforms, helmets, and other equipment.
While June 6, 2024, featured a gathering of Western leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the UK’s King Charles, the events at Normandy began in March and will continue through October.
“Each anniversary year is the occasion to pay tribute to the fallen and to the veterans who will come to attend the commemorative events and celebrations organized in Normandy,” the Normandy Tourism website noted. “Lest we forget.”
True words indeed.
