U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday met with the rapidly dwindling number of American veterans of the Allies' bold invasion of Normandy, where he marked the 80th anniversary of the decisive World War II battle.
Biden, speaking just steps away from the American cemetery where 9,387 U.S. troops were laid to rest from the high-pitched battle to loosen Nazi Germany's grasp on France, said the past is ever present.
He vowed the United States and NATO would not abandon support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's two-year invasion.
"We will not walk away" from Ukraine's defense and "surrender to bullies," he said.
He described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "tyrant intent on domination" and said democracy is now more at risk than at any other point since World War II.
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Veterans honored during 80th anniversary of D-Day invasion
"Make no mistake, we will not bow down, we cannot surrender to the bullies, it is simply unthinkable. If we do, freedom will be subjugated, all Europe will be threatened," he said in offering wide support for the global world order that emerged in the aftermath of World War II.
"To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators, is simply unthinkable," he said. "If we were to do that, it means we'd be forgetting what happened here on these hallowed beaches."
D-Day was the largest amphibious assault in history, and Biden called it a "powerful illustration of how alliances, real alliances, make us stronger."
He said that was "a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget."
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Biden on D-Day: West won’t abandon Ukraine
Biden's appearance came in the midst of his 2024 reelection campaign for the presidency against Republican Donald Trump, who spoke at the 75th anniversary of D-Day five years ago.
Trump, who has often questioned the necessity of the U.S. commitment to NATO, the West's main military alliance, hailed the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy in his 2019 speech but did not praise the global alliances that emerged after the war.
Trump has often attacked European members of NATO who do not spend the equivalent of 2% of their national economic output on defense, a NATO-suggested level for defense of their own countries.
Biden has cited his administration's record of building global alliances as a key accomplishment. He recently told Time magazine that Trump "wanted to just abandon" U.S. allies and suggested the former president would ultimately pull the country out of NATO if he were elected again.
President Joe Biden speaks with World War II veteran Bob Pedigo after French President Emmanuel Macron honored Pedigo with the Legion of Honor medal, during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2024, in Normandy.
World leaders and luminaries – including actor Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg – signaled their appreciation by attending Thursday's events.
But for ordinary French people – who also packed a beachside stadium for a moving tribute to the actions of Allied soldiers – this is a special day.
"U.S. engagement changed the fate of the continent at that time," Leonie Allard, a visiting fellow at the Atlantic Council's Europe center and a former French defense official, told VOA. "And probably projected some of the lessons that we take from that engagement regarding the challenges we're facing today in Europe, with the return of war in the continent due to Russia's aggression of Ukraine."
And French President Emmanuel Macron zeroed in on the heroism of men who were, at the time, just out of boyhood.
"In the summer of 1944, you were barely 20 years old, maybe less," he said to the veterans before presenting 11 of them with his nation's top decoration, the Legion of Honor. "You had a family, friends, a fiancee, a wife, sometimes children. You had dreams, plans, a future. And you left everything, crossed the ocean and landed on the shores of France eight decades ago. You left everything and took all the risks for our independence, for our freedom. We will not forget this."
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden stand before a wreath at the Normandy American Cemetery following a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2024, in Normandy, France.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden also personally greeted several dozen World War II veterans who participated in the D-Day landings, including many in wheelchairs and some who are more than 100 years old.
"You saved the world," Biden told one man. He greeted each veteran one by one, offering a salute or a handshake, and handing them a special coin designed for the occasion.
"This is the honor of my life," said a 102-year-old as he stood between the Bidens for a photo.
"The honor of mine," Biden replied.
And when Biden learned that another one of the veterans would be turning 102 in a few days' time, he turned to the gathered clutch of American press and explained that, per Biden family tradition, a rendition of "Happy Birthday" was in order.
"And the press, you'd better damn well join," Biden said.
We sang.
Ken Bredemeier contributed to this report from Washington.