Honoring World War II veterans at D-Day Celebrations

The world, including France, has returned to Normandy despite the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

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World War II veterans express sadness and joy when they arrive on the Normandy beaches.

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On June 6, 1944, the French gestured gratitude to the Allied forces, as they do now during the war in Ukraine.

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Charles Shay, a D-Day veteran who was at Omaha Beach 78 years ago, expressed thoughts for his comrades who fell that day.

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"I know their spirits are here," he told The Associated Press.

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In Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, a 98-year-old Penobscot Native American took part in a sage-burning ceremony.

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2,501 of them were Americans. 4,414 Allied soldiers died on that day.

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Allied troops landed on Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold beaches on D-Day.

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9,386 people are buried here who died fighting on D-Day and after.

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A visit to the site over the weekend was a first for 82-year-old Dale Thompson.

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Thompson wondered what he would have done if he landed at D-Day.

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