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D-Day memorial held in Normandy
Kellie Cowan reports
TAMPA, Fla. - After a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, World War II veterans are being honored by crowds of French and international visitors in Normandy to mark the 78th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
Several thousand people were expected Monday at a ceremony at the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach in the French town of Colleville-sur-Mer. Amid the dozens of U.S. veterans expected to attend was Ray Wallace, 97, a former paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division.
On D-Day, his plane was hit and caught fire, forcing him to jump earlier than expected. He landed 20 miles away from the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first French village to be liberated from Nazi occupation.
"We all got a little scared then. And then whenever the guy dropped us out, we were away from where the rest of the group was. That was scary," Wallace told The Associated Press.
MORE: Remembering D-Day: A closer look at one of WWII's most chaotic and pivotal battles
Despite rain, spectators cheered WWII veterans in wheelchairs who joined military re-enactors in tanks and uniforms as they rolled through the streets of Sainte-Mere-Eglise.
Wallace said he still remembers June 6, 1944, vividly. For him, his visit to Normandy brings back both proud and somber memories.
"It looked like 4th of July when we were going in there [on D-Day] because all of the searchlights and anti-aircraft guns going off and of course, we could hear the flak [anti-aircraft fire] hitting the plane," recalled Wallace. "I remember some good friends that are lost there. It's a little emotional then."
More than 60 veterans from the Tampa Bay Area attended the D-Day ceremonies.
READ: Movement made to document stories of all 421,000 soldiers who died during World War II
Before departing for the trip, WWII veteran Malen Griep says he hopes the world is paying attention. Griep, who helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich, says he sees parallels between the war he fought against Nazi Germany and the war Russia started in Ukraine.
"I would hope that the schools would show a little better of what happened in Germany and how bad it was," said Griep. "I'm sure the television is showing a lot of Ukraine and what Russia has done there. That is no different."
"Putin should be put on trial for war atrocities," agreed WWII veteran Rudy "Spike" Spychalski.
Nearly 160,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada took part in the D-Day invasion. Troops landed on five Normandy beaches codenamed Gold, Juno, Omaha, Sword, and Utah.
More than 4,400 allied soldiers were killed during the invasion on June 6, 1944 – 2,501 of them were Americans.
The battle for Normandy lasted nearly three months. In late August, Paris was liberated. The following spring, on May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally.
The Associated Press contributed to this report