In Colleville-Sur-Mer, France the 69th anniversary of D-Day today has brought veterans of the 1944 invasion of Normandy to the historical site of the landings.
Over two dozen veterans – many in uniform- and tourists, mostly American and British, watched silently during a wreath-laying ceremony at the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, according to The Los Angeles Times. The cemetery is home to over 9,000 graves of Americans who died fighting seize the beach from Nazi control.
On that fateful day so many years ago, General Dwight D. Eisenhower planned the allied invasion on June 6, 1944 in World War II to break the unfaltering German control of Western Europe. “The tide has turned. The free men of the world are marching together to victory!” Eisenhower said in a historic address after the invasion was launched. Today, survivors and dedicated patriots stood to commemorate those 150,000 troops who fought.
The day is scheduled to have several commemoration events, including this mornings wreath laying and flag raising ceremony, fireworks, and concerts according to USA Today.