ON UTAH BEACH, France (AP) — Looking at the vastness of Utah Beach, its sand blowing in strong winds and bright sunshine, made Robert Gibson’s D-Day memory come alive.
“It was tough,” the 99-year-old veteran said of the moment he landed there on June 6, 1944 alongside more than 150,000 other Allied soldiers.
Gibson was among dozens of mostly American and British World War II veterans who traveled to Normandy this week to mark the 79th anniversary of D-Day, commemorating the decisive assault that led to the liberation of the France and Western Europe from Nazi control.
He remembered “many victims. We had almost crushed bodies to enter the beach. Never forget that we were only 18, 19 years old. … I’m glad I made it.
Gibson landed on Utah Beach on D-Day in the second wave, following the assault troops. He survived to continue fighting in Normandy and eventually in Germany.
His battalion’s first job, he said, was “to guard an ammunition dump and the first night he got hit. You didn’t know where you were supposed to go. The bullets were going everywhere. But we avoided.”
Andrew Negra also landed on Utah Beach. It was July 18, 1944. He returned for the first time this year and was “amazed” by the warm welcome of the French in the region.
“Everywhere we went people were clapping, clapping, and they’ve been doing this for I don’t know how many years,” he said.
At 99, Negra is the only member of his battalion still alive. Braving the wind to walk the beach for a few minutes, he said, “We’ve lost so much. And here I am.”
Negra participated in combat operations until his division reached East Germany in April 1945.
Sunday, more than 40 American veterans of the Second World War formed a parade, in wheelchairs, in the streets of the small town of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, where thousands of paratroopers jumped shortly after midnight on June 6, 1944.
Cheerful crowds cheered, shouting “Thank you” and “Thank you.” The kids waved and many families asked for a photo with the men.
Donnie Edwards, president of the Best Defense Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps World War II veterans visit former battlefields, said: “For us, every year is important.
Given the ages of the soldiers who fought more than seven decades ago, Edwards observed, “Nothing is guaranteed. So we want to make sure we do everything we can to provide them with an amazing and enjoyable experience.
The veterans then headed to Sainte-Marie-du-Mont for a brief ceremony in front of a monument honoring the United States Navy that overlooks Utah Beach.
“The dead will never be forgotten. The veteran will always be honored,” reads an inscription on the stone.
Some of the near-centenarians asked for volunteers to accompany them on the wide stretch of sand.
Matthew Yacovino, 98, became emotional as he remembered what happened there to his older brother, who nearly died after his jeep exploded during the landing.
“The driver was killed and my brother fell on the beach unconscious,” Yacovino said with tears in his eyes.
His brother eventually recovered. Yacovino himself served as a combat air crewman during the war.
Like others who come to Normandy for historical reconstructions of what happened there, Valérie and Lionel Draucourt, visitors to the Paris region, are dressed in khaki uniforms. They wanted to honor veterans.
“Frankly, I don’t think we can quite understand what they went through. We can’t understand it, it’s so big, it’s crazy,” said Lionel Draucourt.
Veterans were to take part in official 79th anniversary ceremonies on Tuesday, including at the Normandy American Cemetery.
On D-Day, Allied troops landed on the beaches codenamed Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold, carried by 7,000 boats. On that day alone, 4,414 Allied soldiers lost their lives, including 2,501 Americans. Over 5,000 were injured.
On the German side, several thousand were killed or wounded.
Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley stressed the importance of the commemorations “to commemorate the efforts they have made and what they have done”.
“They were fighting to make sure fascism and Nazism didn’t stay in power in Europe. In the end, we all know they succeeded,” Milley said.
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Nicolas Garriga contributed to the story.