WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Joe Biden, members of Congress and other top Washington officials traveled to Normandy Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
“One of the most significant events in human history,” said U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) ahead of the trip.
Tuberville’s father, an 18-year-old farmer from Arkansas at the time, was part of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944.
“I can’t imagine what it must have been like to carry such an incredible burden at such a young age,” Tuberville said.
On that single day, more than 2,500 American soldiers lost their lives. To honor their sacrifice, Tuberville is joining a bipartisan congressional delegation in France for various ceremonies through the weekend.
“D-Day was such a pivotal moment,” said U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), whose grandfather served in WWII. “I mean, I think people kind of take for granted that we won in WWII, but at that moment, a lot was up for grabs.”
Schmitt said the delegation plans to visit gravesites and meet with WWII veterans and their families.
“There are not many of them, and they are over 100 years old now,” he said. “But these are men that literally liberated a continent and saved the world.”
Schmitt hopes the spotlight on the Greatest Generation also underscores the role the U.S. still plays around the globe.
“Reminding the world that America, again, saved the world,” he said.
The White House said President Biden will share a similar message from Normandy when he commemorates the anniversary there Thursday.
The president will also meet with veterans and their families, along with attending an official State Visit with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
