World War II paratrooper Donald R. Burgett, 89, holds a photo of himself as he poses for a portrait at his home on April 29, 2014 in Howell, Michigan.
Paris:
They are on their way again. Seventy years on, the dwindling band of D-Day survivors are making what, for all but a few of them, will be one last pilgrimage to the beaches of Normandy.
At the time, many of them were too young to buy a beer. Seven decades later, they are not too old to have forgotten the horrors, and the heroism, that defined the pivotal 24 hours of World War II, and a generation.
"Everyone was scared!" If there has been one sentiment that has recurred in many tear-filled reminiscence sessions ahead of Thursday's anniversary of The Longest Day, then that is it.
Some of them leapt into pitch darkness out of planes flying so low there was barely enough time for their parachutes to open before they thumped into the sandy soil of northern France.
Others splashed onto beaches only to watch their closest friends be cut down before them by German machine gun fire.
Many of the veterans arriving in Normandy this week are still haunted by memories that scratched themselves on to their psyche long before anyone had heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The youngest of them are now approaching their 90th birthdays and the reality is that very few of them will be around for the 80th anniversary of the biggest amphibious assault in human history.
Britain's Normandy Veterans Association is among a number of organisations that have already announced they will disband after this year's ceremonies, which will be attended by an A-list collection of world leaders headed by Britain's Queen Elizabeth and US President Barack Obama.
The crisis in Ukraine -- in its way part of the unfinished business of World War II -- means that the veterans will have to share the news spotlight with the inevitable diplomatic shuffling around Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But that will not stop them from paying fitting tribute to all those who put their lives on the line to ensure the success of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe and, ultimately, the defeat of Hitlerism.
Of the 156,000-plus troops who waded or parachuted onto French soil on June 6, 1944, nearly 4,500 would be dead by the end of the day.
On Wednesday, a ship will set off from Britain's main naval port of Portsmouth in commemoration of the nearly 7,000 vessels that took part in the invasion.
Weather permitting, the same day will also see a mass parachute drop at Ranville, the first village to be liberated, and there will be a series of fly-pasts by historic and contemporary fighter planes along with many other re-enactments, memorial ceremonies and military processions in a part of France that has been diligent in honouring the memory of its liberators.
Russia's annexation of Crimea in March has triggered a sharp downturn in Moscow's relations with the West but there are hopes that the decision not to cancel Putin's invitation to the ceremonies could provide a catalyst for a rapprochement.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have all promised Putin some face time around the main commemoration ceremony on Friday and the Russian leader is also being pressed to meet his newly-elected Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.
The Soviet Union's huge sacrifices during World War II made it very difficult for the West to exclude Putin from the commemorations of an assault that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin partly initiated by pushing the Allies to open up a new front that would relieve the pressure on the Red Army in the east.
Although the liberation of Normandy and France as a whole was to take many more months, sufficient progress was made on D-Day itself to give the Russians hope of turning the momentum against the Nazis.World Prepares Final Salute to World War II Heroes
At the time, many of them were too young to buy a beer. Seven decades later, they are not too old to have forgotten the horrors, and the heroism, that defined the pivotal 24 hours of World War II, and a generation.
"Everyone was scared!" If there has been one sentiment that has recurred in many tear-filled reminiscence sessions ahead of Thursday's anniversary of The Longest Day, then that is it.
Some of them leapt into pitch darkness out of planes flying so low there was barely enough time for their parachutes to open before they thumped into the sandy soil of northern France.
Others splashed onto beaches only to watch their closest friends be cut down before them by German machine gun fire.
Many of the veterans arriving in Normandy this week are still haunted by memories that scratched themselves on to their psyche long before anyone had heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The youngest of them are now approaching their 90th birthdays and the reality is that very few of them will be around for the 80th anniversary of the biggest amphibious assault in human history.
Britain's Normandy Veterans Association is among a number of organisations that have already announced they will disband after this year's ceremonies, which will be attended by an A-list collection of world leaders headed by Britain's Queen Elizabeth and US President Barack Obama.
The crisis in Ukraine -- in its way part of the unfinished business of World War II -- means that the veterans will have to share the news spotlight with the inevitable diplomatic shuffling around Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But that will not stop them from paying fitting tribute to all those who put their lives on the line to ensure the success of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe and, ultimately, the defeat of Hitlerism.
Of the 156,000-plus troops who waded or parachuted onto French soil on June 6, 1944, nearly 4,500 would be dead by the end of the day.
On Wednesday, a ship will set off from Britain's main naval port of Portsmouth in commemoration of the nearly 7,000 vessels that took part in the invasion.
Weather permitting, the same day will also see a mass parachute drop at Ranville, the first village to be liberated, and there will be a series of fly-pasts by historic and contemporary fighter planes along with many other re-enactments, memorial ceremonies and military processions in a part of France that has been diligent in honouring the memory of its liberators.
Russia's annexation of Crimea in March has triggered a sharp downturn in Moscow's relations with the West but there are hopes that the decision not to cancel Putin's invitation to the ceremonies could provide a catalyst for a rapprochement.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have all promised Putin some face time around the main commemoration ceremony on Friday and the Russian leader is also being pressed to meet his newly-elected Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko.
The Soviet Union's huge sacrifices during World War II made it very difficult for the West to exclude Putin from the commemorations of an assault that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin partly initiated by pushing the Allies to open up a new front that would relieve the pressure on the Red Army in the east.
Although the liberation of Normandy and France as a whole was to take many more months, sufficient progress was made on D-Day itself to give the Russians hope of turning the momentum against the Nazis.World Prepares Final Salute to World War II Heroes
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