D-Day veterans return to Normandy to mark 81st anniversary [View all]
Source: AP
Updated 4:25 AM CDT, June 6, 2025
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (AP) Veterans gathered Friday in Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings a pivotal moment of World War II that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitlers regime.
Along the coastline and near the D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands of onlookers attended the commemorations, which included parachute jumps, flyovers, remembrance ceremonies, parades, and historical reenactments.
Many were there to cheer the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older. All remembered the thousands who died.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commemorated the anniversary of the D-Day landings, in which American soldiers played a leading role, with veterans at the American Cemetery overlooking the shore in the village of Colleville-sur-Mer.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/france-dday-anniversary-normandy-77034f1e01fac2bda85d4518832ce5c6