‘They gave us freedom’ – D-Day veterans celebrate

On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, it’s impossible not to be struck by the warmth and energy of the stone-clad villages up and down the Normandy coastline.

As far as the eye can see, British, American and Canadian flags fly from garden gates and lampposts. Music from the 1940s filled the village square, and World War II-era military jeeps roared past on the country lanes.

Driving them were men and women from all over Europe, smiling and waving. Germans, Dutch, Belgians and Britons from all walks of life have chosen to don World War II Allied uniforms this week to commemorate the 150,000 soldiers who landed in Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944. Changed the course of the 20th – Century Europe did just that.

How different things look now. After decades of Europeans promising “never again,” war has returned to the continent on a scale not seen since World War II with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Eighty years ago, Germany was the enemy. Russia, an important ally. Its pyrrhic victory on the Eastern Front was as fundamental as the Allied offensive in the West after D-Day that brought Nazi Germany to its knees.

Yet this Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will stand shoulder to shoulder with French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden and heir to the British throne Prince William at the official international D-Day ceremony.

Ukrainian President Zelensky was also invited. Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly did not do this.

President Macron’s office insists that this year will continue to commemorate the sacrifices of the Soviet people in World War II and their contribution to victory. But it said, “It will be remembered that the Eastern Front included not only Russia, but also Ukraine, Belarus and all other Soviet countries.”

The Normans know all too well the pain and humiliation caused by the occupation and the denial of freedoms that millions of people in Ukraine face or threaten. They ensured that younger generations understood the risks and losses Allied soldiers took to liberate them.

The biggest attraction in Normandy this week certainly isn’t the world’s leaders. These are the surviving D-Day veterans, the youngest of whom are now in their 90s. Wherever they traveled along the coast, they were feted, photographed and flattered, especially by the locals.

I met Vanessa Foulon, a young mother who was lining up with her six-year-old son to receive a D-Day commemorative hat signed by a U.S. veteran. I asked, why is this so important to them?

“Free,” she said simply. “They gave us our freedom.” She burst into tears.

“People are friendly here,” Donald Cobb, a 99-year-old U.S. Army veteran, told me. “We’re excited to be back.”

He was attending a veterans parade in picturesque Saint-Marie-du-Mont. The streets here are covered with banners claiming to be the “first liberation village.”

Donald remembers landing at nearby Omaha Beach at 5:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944.

At 19, he must have been petrified.

“Honestly,” he said, “I’d rather be somewhere else.”

But his modesty is humbling.

“We did what we had to do,” he told me. “I don’t feel like a hero, I’m glad we were able to help. I feel good about it.

France is conflicted about its wartime history. After France signed an armistice with Nazi Germany in 1940, the country fell apart. The south was run by France’s Vichy government, which collaborated with the Nazis.

However, the Normandy landings commemorating the French men and women who contributed to the French Resistance seemed a bit low-key compared to a series of lively events commemorating Allied soldiers.

“I will not forget them. Please don’t forget them,” implored Catherine Nivromont, an elegant, spirited 81-year-old, leaning forward in concentration in her chair.

In 1944, Catherine’s brother Pierre was only 17 years old.

Pierre got in touch with local people who washed clothes for German soldiers. Their clothing was marked with battalion details, revealing the number and location of the troops.

“Everyone plays their own little role,” Catherine said. You never know who you can trust.

Both her brother Pierre and her father (who also fought in the Resistance) were eventually betrayed by a Frenchman whom they had relied on to create false passports for Allied airmen trapped behind enemy lines.

Both men were sent to Nazi concentration camps, initially Auschwitz and later separated.

“I think his country is more important to him than his family,” Catherine said, a little sadly. “The risk he took was huge.”

But let me ask you, are you proud of him?

“Oh yes. So proud. That’s why I still see it as my job to visit schools and universities. To tell young people what the Resistance did and how much they sacrificed for us.

It is thought that only 2% of French citizens work full-time for the Resistance, although they rely on a wider network of people willing to help.

For such a small group, they also had a huge impact on modern France.

Many people in the resistance movement were left-leaning. A large portion were communists. After the war, they helped found the new French Republic and implemented France’s strong welfare and health systems that remain strong today.

Back on Omaha Beach, I found a group of young Europeans actively rehearsing a demonstration of their D-Day testimony—among them a French child, an Allied soldier, a frightened young German recruit, and a resistance fighter— — part of Thursday’s international ceremony.

Why did they volunteer for the program? As a German-Austrian citizen, Helena told me that she felt it was important to send a message of peace.

“Freedom for all!” For Kate, who is from Ukraine, this is the most important thing.

But 80 years after D-Day, heavy storm clouds hang over Europe. If President Vladimir Putin wins in Ukraine, neighboring countries such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fear they could be the next victor.

Since World War II, Europe has relied on U.S. support for its security. But the election in Washington is coming. If Donald Trump returns to the White House, he has made clear to European leaders that they should take nothing for granted.

Additional reporting by Kathy Long and Marianne Baisnee