1944-2014
On the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, leaders from the USA, Britain, Canada and many other nations commemorated the historic event which led to the liberation of France from Nazi occupation.
Amid somber commemorations for the fallen, in what had been the largest seaborne operations in history, many veterans who served in the landings also participated.
On 6 June 1944 and the days following 156,000 American, British and Canadian troops stormed ashore in what would lead to the liberation of Europe.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visited France to partake in the commemorations. Speaking at a
banquet at the Elysee Palace in Paris, the Queen said she had been "stirred by the day's commemoration and felt sorrow and regret remembering the loss of many fine soldiers, sailors and airmen." Equally she offered "thankfulness, knowing that today, our nations are free and sovereign, because allied forces liberated this continent from occupation and tyranny."
In New York Harbor a special ceremony was conducted in which helicopters dropped one million rose petals in the waters adjacent to the Statue of Liberty. The statue, a gift from France in the 1880's, was showered by 1,200 pounds of petals which fluttered to the ground.
The ceremony was conducted by the group The French Will Never Forget.
WWII veterans were honored and two large flags, American and French, were unfolded.
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