The president of the United States, Joe Biden, promised this Thursday to continue defending Ukraine to prevent it from falling under the tyranny of Russia and Vladimir Putin, warning that democracy is more threatened than ever.
At the American cemetery of Colleville sur Mer, during the ceremonies commemorating the Normandy landings, he insisted that “we cannot bow down to dictators” and that, if we did, we would be forgetting what happened with the liberation of Europe from the Nazi regime 80 years ago.
“They knew – beyond any doubt – there are things that are worth fighting and dying for. Freedom is worth it. Democracy is worth it. America is worth it. The world is worth it,” he noted.
He promised the citizens that America would “not walk away” from the conflict, claiming “if we do Ukraine will be subjugated, and it will not end there. Ukraine’s neighbours will be threatened, all of Europe will be threatened.”
Mr Biden assured “what the allies did here 80 years ago far surpassed anything we could have done on our own”, adding it was “a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget”.
Joe Biden commemorates D-Day
Remembering the importance of the Normandy landings that began on June 6, 1944, he noted that “the fact that they were heroes here that day does not absolve us of what we have to do today,” Biden said. “Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it and fight for it. That’s the test of the ages.”
He made a comparison between that and the current situation, pointing out that NATO with the recent expansion to Finland and Sweden now has 32 members and is more united than ever. He reiterated his country’s willingness to engage in that and other alliances, noting that the United States’ unique ability to unite nations is one of our greatest strengths.
Alluding to the battles that took place in Normandy 80 years ago, Biden concluded “let us be worthy of their sacrifice.”
In this ceremony at the American military cemetery of Colleville sur Mer, where the graves of more than 9,300 soldiers who fell in that campaign are grouped, nearly 200 World War II veterans from the United States were guests of honor, including some women.
Most were in wheelchairs due to their very advanced age (very close to or over one hundred years old), although a few walked proudly. Due to their age, it is very likely that this will be the last important anniversary they attend.
French President Emmanuel Macron decorated eleven of them with the Legion of Honor, France’s highest official distinction, for their contribution to the liberation of France in 1944 and 1945.
Prominent guests also attended, such as former Secretary of State, John Kerry, who was decorated several times in the Vietnam War; or Tom Hanks, protagonist of the film ‘Saving Private Ryan, set in the Normandy landings and its subsequent days, and which begins and ends in this cemetery.
What happened on D-Day?
Likewise, there were also veterans of more recent conflicts and relatives of combatants in Normandy. The Colleville sur Mer American Cemetery is located next to Omaha Beach. It brings together the graves of 9,388 American soldiers who fell in the landing and in the subsequent battle to liberate Normandy, which lasted until August 21, 1944.
Omaha Beach, where the Allied troops also landed 80 years ago today, and one of the two American ones, was the scene of the bloodiest fighting that day. American troops suffered between 5,000 and 6,000 casualties including dead, wounded and missing, the vast majority in the first waves. That’s why it was known as ‘Bloody Omaha’.