More than 60 World War II veterans are set to depart Dallas for France on Friday to take part in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
The group, ranging in age from 96 to 107, will be flying first to Paris, American Airlines said. One of several These are the people who take veterans to France for the commemoration ceremonies.
The group will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Suresnes American Military Cemetery, visit the Eiffel Tower and take part in the daily ceremony known as the “Carnage of Fire” at the Arc de Triomphe to commemorate French military personnel killed in action.
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They will then travel to Normandy to take part in events including wreath-laying ceremonies at Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, two of the sites of the Allied landings.
Approximately 160,000 Allied troops, 73,000 American troops, Landing in Normandy On June 6, 1944, a massive amphibious operation was launched with the aim of breaking through the heavy German defenses and beginning the liberation of Western Europe.
According to the Necrology Project, 4,415 Allied soldiers were killed on the day of the Normandy landings, of which approximately 2,500 were American, and more than 5,000 were wounded.
The group traveling from Dallas includes six Medal of Honor recipients from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars who want to honor World War II veterans.
There are also two statues of “Rosie the Riveter,” representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war.
Hundreds of thousands of Allied women also served in important non-combat roles, such as codebreakers, naval planners, radar operators, and cartographers.
The day is marked in France with a variety of ceremonies to give thanks to the veterans who undertook the long journey across the Atlantic despite their age, fatigue and physical challenges.
“We will never forget, and we must tell them,” Philippe Etienne, president of the Liberation Mission, which is organizing the memorial, told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, only about 100,000 American World War II veterans remain alive today, and the National WWII Museum in New Orleans works to preserve their memory.
To reach new generations, the museum sends lecture programs to schools across the country and creates immersive exhibits, such as those about the Pacific War.
“I think this story is very important for their future,” Michael Arbeits, a teacher at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, told CBS News. “It's a world that's constantly changing and there are new threats and there are old threats.”
Steve Ellis served on landing craft in the Pacific during World War II and recently shared his story with a group of Holy Cross High School seniors.
“Do you remember being nervous the first time you went into combat? Or do you think your training had prepared you for that moment? Or how you felt at the time?” one student asked.
“For me, and probably for most people of my generation, when you're in combat you're not nervous at all, you just do your job,” Ellis replied.
— Barry Petersen contributed to this report.
