Sgt. Bill Becker, 98, a turret gunner during World War 2 and part of a contingent of veterans who travelled to France for DDay.commemorations
FOR many, it will be the last big commemoration. The last reunion.
Eighty years after Allied armies invaded the beaches of Normandy, marking a definitive turning point in World War II, those veterans who are still alive and sound enough returned to France from the United States, Britain and Canada to commemorate the moment – gingerly, slowly, happily.
Uh-oh! Daily quota reached.
Once the veterans are gone, how will their sacrifices be remembered?
Col. Joseph Peterburs, 99, a veteran of the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, and other veterans are greeted at the airport in Deauville, France, on June 3, 2024. It is 80 years since the invasion of Normandy; the average age of veterans hovers at 100, and less than 200 are left.
Col. Joseph Peterburs, 99, a veteran of the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, and other veterans are greeted at the airport in Deauville, France, on June 3, 2024. (Laetitia Vancon/The New York Times)
A monument near Utah Beach dedicated to Major Richard Winters, who led paratroopers from Company E, Second Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in Sainte Marie du Mont, France. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
French airport crew and wellwishers ready to greet arriving American D-Day veterans in Deauville, France, on June 3, 2024. (Laetitia Vancon/The New York Times)
France’s first lady greeting American D-Day veterans arriving at the airport in Deauville, France. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
FranceÕs first lady, Brigitte Macron, attends a ceremony greeting American DDay veterans arriving at the airport in Deauville, France, on June 3, 2024. (Laetitia Vancon/The New York Times)
Gen Darryl Williams, the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa, saluting American D-Day veterans upon their arrival in Deauville, France.
Gen. Darryl Williams, the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa, salutes American DDay veterans upon their arrival in Deauville, France, on June 3, 2024. (Laetitia Vancon/The New York Times)
