World War II veteran Ceo Bauer attends a D-Day commemoration event in Carentan, France, on June 2, 2024. The Michigan native, who is 101 years old, served with the 95th Infantry Division and helped liberate the French city of Metz from German occupation. With the youngest veterans of the war approaching 100, commemorations in Normandy this year were an opportunity to pass the living memory of the period on to younger generations. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Dozens of World War II veterans, hundreds of active-duty service members and members of the public marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France.
Parades, memorials, military demonstrations and more were held throughout the region during the main commemorative period, June 1-9.
Below is a selection of memorable moments from the week captured by Stars and Stripes.
Vintage military vehicles drive along the beach in Normandy, June 6, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Vintage military vehicles drive along the beach in Normandy, June 6, 2024. Hundreds of World War II vehicles from Europe and the United States were brought to France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
A soldier with the 101st Airborne Division participates in an air assault demonstration in Carentan, France, June 2, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Helicopters supporting the 101st Airborne Division fly over Carentan, France, on June 2, 2024, as part of D-Day commemoration events. The 101st Airborne Division conducted an air assault demonstration in Normandy. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A soldier with the 101st Airborne Division participates in an air assault demonstration in Carentan, France, June 2, 2024. Paratroopers assigned to the division liberated the town and provided vital support to the Allies’ beach landing on D-Day. However, in subsequent years, the 101st shifted its focus to air assault missions, meaning its soldiers no longer parachute. This year, for the first time, the division demonstrated its current air assault capabilities in Normandy to mark D-Day.
The U.S. Army Parachute Team, known as the Golden Knights, participates in D-Day commemoration events in Normandy on June 2, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The U.S. Army Parachute Team, known as the Golden Knights, participates in D-Day commemoration events in Normandy on June 2, 2024. Paratroopers were vital to the success of the D-Day invasion, on June 6, 1944, which brought together the land, air and sea forces of the allied militaries and remains the largest amphibious invasion in military history. Various parachuting events marked this year’s anniversary celebrations.
The grave of Theodore Roosevelt Jr. at the Normandy American Cemetery. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
The grave of Theodore Roosevelt Jr. at the Normandy American Cemetery. Roosevelt, the eldest son of the 26th president of the United States, directed troops a Utah Beach during the Normandy landings. About a month later, he died of a heart attack in France. He was awarded the Medal of Honor.
An effigy of Pvt. John Steele hangs from the village church in Sainte-Mère-Église, France, June 3, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
An effigy of Pvt. John Steele hangs from the village church in Sainte-Mère-Église, France, June 3, 2024. Steele’s parachute got entangled on the church during his landing on D-Day. He is said to have hung for about two hours before German forces captured him. He later escaped and went on to fight for the rest of the war.
From left, Mark Milley, retired general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, NATO supreme allied commander in Europe Gen. Christopher Cavoli and Susan Eisenhower in Sainte-Mère-Église, France, Monday, June 3, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Mark Milley, retired general and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, NATO supreme allied commander in Europe Gen. Christopher Cavoli and Susan Eisenhower help unveil a statue of Dwight D. Eisenhower in Sainte-Mère-Église, France, Monday, June 3, 2024. President Eisenhower ordered the D-Day invasion of France on June 6, 1944.
French troops practice on Omaha Beach June 4, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
French troops practice an amphibious assault on Omaha Beach June 4, 2024, ahead of an international ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
A couple dressed in 1940s attire walk through the streets of Arromanches-les-Bains, France, June 7, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A couple dressed in 1940s attire walk through the streets of Arromanches-les-Bains, France, June 7, 2024. Vintage clothing and music are a hallmark of D-Day anniversary celebrations in Normandy.
People gather on the beach at Arromanches-les-Bains, France on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
World War II military vehicles line up on the beach at Arromanches-les-Bains, France, June 4, 2024. Arromanches was at the center of the Gold Beach landing zone, where British troops arrived on D-Day. It is to the east of the American landing beaches of Utah and Omaha.
American soldiers with the 75th Ranger Regiment participate in a ceremony at Pointe du Hoc on the Norman coast, June 5, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
American soldiers with the 75th Ranger Regiment participate in a ceremony at Pointe du Hoc on the Norman coast, June 5, 2024. On D-Day, soldiers assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion were tasked with ascending the steep cliff walls at Pointe du Hoc to destroy German positions on top.
Soldiers with the 529th Military Police Company (Honor Guard) wait to perform a 21-gun salute at Normandy American Cemetery, June 6, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers with the 529th Military Police Company (Honor Guard) wait to perform a 21-gun salute with cannons during a D-Day memorial ceremony at Normandy American Cemetery, June 6, 2024. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke at the event, during which the later awarded 11 American veterans the Legion of Honor, the highest national decoration in France.
Military ships seen in the English Channel from Normandy American Cemetery on June 6, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Military ships seen in the English Channel from Normandy American Cemetery on June 6, 2024, during a ceremony to mark D-Day. The cemetery holds roughly 9,400 graves and sits on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, where many Americans lost their lives on June 6, 1944, as they stormed the shore in the face of heavy German fire.
Army veteran Karl D. Kammer is projected onto a screen as he enters the D-Day ceremony grounds at Normandy American Cemetery, June 6, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Army veteran Karl D. Kammer is projected onto a screen as he enters the D-Day ceremony grounds at Normandy American Cemetery, June 6, 2024. Kammer served as a Technical Fourth Grade with the 16th Armored Division and was sent to Europe in 1945, shortly before Germany surrendered.
American World War II veterans participated in a range of events in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. It is likely to be the last major D-Day commemoration with large numbers of veterans in attendance, due to the advanced age of the estimated 16.4 million Americans who served in the war and are still alive.
Fireworks in Arromanches-les-Bains, France, June 6, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A firework show is held in Arromanches-les-Bains, France, to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2024.
