Brian McDonald
More than 60 World War II veterans left Dallas for France on Friday, where they will participate in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The group is between 96 and 107 years old, according to American Airlines, which first flies them to Paris. The flight is one of several who are taking veterans to France for the celebration.
The group will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Suresnes American Cemetery, visit the Eiffel Tower and participate in a daily ceremony known as le Ravivage de la Flamme, which honors fallen French military personnel at the Arc de Triomphe.
LM Otero/AP
They then head to the Normandy region for events that include wreath-laying ceremonies on the beaches of Omaha and Utah, two of the Allied forces’ landing sites.
Nearly 160,000 Allied troops, 73,000 from the United States, landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, in a massive amphibious operation designed to break through heavily fortified German defenses and begin the liberation of Western Europe.
A total of 4,415 Allied soldiers were killed on D-Day itself, according to the Necrology Project, including about 2,500 Americans. More than 5,000 were injured.
The group traveling from Dallas includes six Medal of Honor recipients from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam who want to honor World War II veterans.
There are also two Rosie the Riveters, representing women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war.
Hundreds of thousands of military women from allied nations also worked in crucial noncombat roles, such as code breakers, ship plotters, radar operators, and cartographers.
There are several ceremonies to celebrate the day in France and to thank veterans, some of whom will make the long transatlantic journey despite their advanced age, fatigue and physical difficulties.
“We will never forget. And we have to tell them,” Philippe Étienne, president of commemoration organizer Liberation Mission, told the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, with only about 100,000 American World War II veterans still alive, the National World War II Museum in New Orleans is working to preserve their memories.
To reach new generations, the museum sends course programs to schools across the country and has engaging exhibits, such as one on the Pacific War.
“I think this story is vital for them in the future,” Michael Arvites, a teacher at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, told CBS News. “In a world that is constantly changing, which has new threats and some old threats.”
Steve Ellis served on an invasion landing craft in the Pacific during World War II and recently shared his stories with Holy Cross High seniors.
“That first time in combat, do you remember being nervous, or do you feel like your training prepared you for that moment, or what were your feelings about it?” one student asked.
“For me, and I think for most of my contemporaries, when we’re in combat, we’re not – not nervous at all, just doing our jobs,” Ellis responded.
– Barry Petersen contributed to this report.
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