Please remain standing for the posting of the colors and the playing of the National Anthems of the french republic and the United States of america. [ applause ] president hollande, president obama, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. It is our privilege to welcome all the distinguished visitors joining us today. We extend a special welcome to the dday and world war ii veterans and their family members in attendance who honor us all with their presence. Today we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the dday landings which began on the morning of june 6th, 1944. Todays ceremony will honor our military men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for the liberation of europe, including among those we honor are the 9,387 of our fallen veterans inturned at this sacred ground and 1,557 missing in action endescribed on the wall of the missing. [ speaking Foreign Language ] ladies and gentlemen, please bow your heads for the invocation delivered by the ref end f. Richard spencer. [ speaking Foreign Language ] may we join our hearts together in prayer. Almighty eternal god, as we gather here on holy ground to remember the Fallen Heroes of yesterday, everything we see, everything that we cannot see exists because of you alone. Peace comes from you. It all belongs to you. Peace exists for your glory. History is our story. Our task here today is to not fix the blame for the past, but to fix the course for the future. Give to our government and military leaders the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Help us, o god, to remember that we are human beings united not by race or religion or blood, but to our common commitment to freedom and justice for all. Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good for everyone. And whenever we face difficult days ahead may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims. Responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes even when we differ from one another. May all people of goodwill today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous world and a peaceful planet. In your holy name we pray, amen. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the french republic francois hollande. F [ speaking Foreign Language ]. [ applause ] [ applause ] translator dear veterans of dday, ladies and gentlemen. Today we commemorate on june 6th a memorable date in our history where our two peoples were joined in the same struggle, the struggle for liberty. We are here today next to the beach near the cemetery of colville. A peaceful beach. On june 6th, 1944, it was a horrible battlefield, and this is what we want to remember today 70 years later. In history there are always challenges to face. Things sometimes go wrong. And in the prehours of dawn, everything started to go wrong on omaha beach. The air forces bombs had landed behind the german defenses. The navys artillery had missed its target and the tanks that were to support the infantry had sunk. The soldiers of the first waves of the assault found themselves lightly armed. They faced mortars, rifles, heavy artillery, and machine guns. They were mutilated, massacred while the survivors were pinned down on the sand amongst the dead and wounded under deadly fire while the tide came in. The nazis were sure of themselves. They believed they would repair all assaults thanks to the bunkers of the atlantic wall. They had not reckoned with the fact that in democracies a great ideal gives great courage. And that man would give their lives to save other lives. On on the continent of liberty. As jenot mar bradley said, every man who set foot on omaha beach on june 6th, 1944, was a hero. So these young soldiers regrouped with a few officers with no orders, no plan, and they ran towards the german defensives, these desperate, unexpected, irresistible assault was victorious. A few hours later they had won the battle. Omaha, utah, all these names evoke suffering and glory, desolation and pride, cruelty and deliverance. More than 20,000 americans gave their lives here in normandy. 20,838. I shall not forget one of them. There were your relatives, your brothers, and your friends. They were our liberators. France will never forget what we owe to these men and women, what we owe to the United States of america. France will never forget the solidarity between our two nations, the solidarity that prevailed during the two great tragedies of the last century which is based on our shared dream of freedom. America remembers the contribution that france made to its revolution. In 1970, when frances independence was at stake, america was there to preserve it. In 1944, when frances soil was occupied, america was there to free it. I know what that cost to the United States, this great brother country. So much sacrifice, human losses. 11 soldiers honored here in colville, this little Normandy Village which one day in june 1944 was the most important site in the history of the world. Which is today a sacred place in the memory of our two countries. Here lie the markers of bloody omaha and the heroes, infantry of the battle of the hedgerows. They fail to save europe, and i would like to share with you a few names. The reids, father and son, both killed in july 1944. Why one in italy. The other in normandy. Both of them here to save europe. Here all these brothers cut down by war. 66 of them are buried two by two. Side by side. Among all these white crosses that surround us, three bear the gold star. The mark of the medal of honor. Lieutenant jimmy monteif, one of the first men to land at omaha. All day he fought on the beach without cover before falling under enemy fire. Without ever seeing the victory. Another one is Sergeant Frank perigori, who singlehandedly captured a post defended by 43 germans. He died four days later. In the norman countryside. And last, but not least, general theodore roosevelt, son of the 26th president of the usa. He died 8 56 on july 12, 1944. He is buried alongside his brother quentin, who was shot out of the sky over champagne on july 14, 1918. There are crosses that stand side by side, the unbroken ties between our two peoples from one generation to the next. Mr. President , i will reiterate the oath of my predecessors. We will never forget. We will never forget the sacrifice of the american servicemen. Mr. President , we are the children and grandchildren of these great generation. I was born here in normandy. A town that was almost completely destroyed during this battle. Mr. President , you were born in hawaii, in a state that was heavily struck by the war. Our parents, our grandparents told us the stories of these sufferings of these come bats. Our parents, our grandparents raised us, telling us that for everything to change, nothing should be forgotten. Our nations have built a hope from theis common memory. The hope of peace. There is the image projected today by normandy where everyone is gathered today. Normandy where those who fought each other yesterday stand together here today. Mr. President , for 70 years the United States, in spite of challenges have always been the friend we can count on. This is the friendship of two nations who were born into modernity, progress. This is the friendship of two nations in shared admiration of the philosophers of the enlightenment. The friendship of two nations that stand together in the face of tyranny, who want to make the world fairer, more democratic, more peaceful. The french people recognize an indefatigugeable energy. What we admire of the American People because they, themselves, are the most ardent defenders is the love of freedom. They know when a critical moment comes, when our fundamental principles are in danger, french and the United States always stand side by side like that terrible summer in 1944 on the beaches of normandy and the peaches of province. Today we stand together to face other threats, climate change, inequality, underdevelopment, poverty, hunger. Still today we stand together to face other perils, fundamentalism, extremism, terrorism. The silence of this sacred place expresses the message of the soldiers who lie here better than any speech. They died so that we might leave in freedom. We must be worthy of our past to continue making history. Long live america. Long live france. Long live the memory of those who lost their lives here today for our freedom. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States of America Barack obama. [ applause ] president hollande, people of france, friends, family, our veterans. If prayer were made of sound, the skies over england that night would have deafened the world. Captains paced their decks. Pilots tapped their gauges. Commanders poured over maps. Fully aware that for all the months of meticulous planning everything could go wrong. The winds, the tides, the element of surprise, and above all the audacious bet that what waited on the other side of the channel would compel men not to shrink away, but to charge ahead. Fresh faced g. I. S rubbed trinkets, kissed pictures of sweethearts, checked and rechecked their equipment. God, asked one, give me guts. And in the predawn hours planes rumbled down runways, gliders and paratroopers slipped through the sky. Giant screws began to turn on an armada that looked more like ships than sea. And more than 150,000 souls set off towards this tiny sliver of sand upon which hung more than the fate of a war. But rather the course of human history. President hollande, distinguished guests, i am honored to return here today to pay tribute to the men and women of a generation who defied every danger. Among them are veterans of dday. Gentlemen, we are truly humbled by your presence here today. [ applause ] [ cheers and applause ] just last week i received a letter from a french citizen. Dear mr. President and the American People, he wrote. We are honored to welcome you, to thank you again for all of the pain and efforts of the American People and others in our common struggle for freedom. Today we say the same to the people of france. Thank you. Especially for the generosity you have shown the americans who have come here over the generations, to these beaches and to this sacred place of rest for 9,387 americans. At the end of the war when our ships set off for america filled with our fallen, tens of thousands of liberated europeans turned out to say farewell. And they pledged to take care of the more than 60,000 americans who would remain in cemeteries on this continent. In the words of one man, we will take care of the fallen as if their tombs were our childrens. And the people of france, you have kept your word like the true friends you are. We are forever grateful. [ applause ] here we dont just commemorate victory, as proud of that victory as we are. We dont just honor sacrifice. As grateful as the world is. We come to remember why america and our allies gave so much for the survival of liberty at this moment of maximum peril. We come to tell the story of the men and women who did it so that it remains seared into the memory of a future world. We tell this story for the old soldiers who pull themselves a little straighter today to salute brothers who never made it home. We tell the story for the daughter who clutches a fated photo of her father, forever young, for the child who runs his fingers over colorful ribbons he knows signify something of great consequence, even if he doesnt yet fully understand why. We tell this story to bear what witness we can to what happened when the boys from america reached omaha beach. By daybreak blood soaked the water, bombs broke the sky. Thousands of paratroopers had dropped into the wrong landing sites. Thousands of rounds bit into flesh and sand. Entire Companies Worth of men fell in minutes. Hells beach had earned its name. By 8 30 a. M. , jenot mar bradley expected our troops to be a mile inland. Six hours after the landings, he wrote, we held only ten yards of beach. In this age of instant commentary, invasion would have swiftly and roundly been declared, by it was by one officer, a debacle. But such a race to judgment would not have taken into account the courage of free men. Success may not come with rushing speed, president roosevelt would siay that night but we shall return again and again. And paratroopers fought through the countryside to find one another. Rangers pulled themselves over those cliffs to silence nazi guns. To the west americans took utah beach with relative ease. To the east the british tore through the coast fueled by the fury of five years of bombs over london and a solemn vow to fight them on the beaches. The canadians, whose shores had not been touched by war, drove far into france. And here at omaha troops who finally made it to the seawall used it as shelter where a general barked, if youre rangers, lead the way. By the end of that longest day, this beach had been fought, lost, refought, and won. A piece of europe once again liberated and free. Hitlers wall was breached, letting loose pattens army to pour into france. Within a week the worlds bloodiest beach had become the worlds busiest port. Within a month, one million allied troops thundered into normandy. As our armies marched across the continent one pilot said it looked as if the very crust of the earth had shaken loose the arc de triomphe lit up for the first time in years. Paris was lifted up by vi vive le france. [ applause ] of course, even as we gather here at normandy, we remember that freedoms victory was also made possible by so many others who wore americas uniform. Two years before he commanded armies, eisenhowers troops sliced through north africa. Three times before dday our g. I. S stormed the beaches at sicily, sew laolarno, enzio. Divisions like the fighting 36th brawled their way through italy, fighting through the mud for months, marching through towns past waving children before opening the gates to rome. As the dog faces marched to victory in yuceurope, the devil dogs, the marines, clawed their way from island to island in the pacific in some of the worst, fiercest fighting. And back home an army of women, including my grandmother, rolled up their sleeves to help build a mighty arsenal of democracy. But it was here on these shores that the tide was turned in that common struggle for freedom. What more powerful manifestation of americas commitment to human freedom than the sight of wave after wave after wave of young men boarding those boats to liberate people they had never met. We say it now as if it couldnt be any other way, but in the annals of history, the world had never seen anything like it. And when the war was won, we claimed no spoils of victory. We helped europe rebuild. We claimed no land other than the earth where we buried those who gave their lives under our flag and where we stationed those who still serve under it. But americas claim, our commitment to liberty, our claim to equality, our claim to freedom and to the inherent dignity of every human being, that claim is written in the blood on these beaches. And it will endure for eternity. Normandy, this was democracys beach head. And our victory in that war decided not just a century, but shaked the security and well being of all posterity. We worked to turn old adversaries into new allies. We built new pros tperity. We stood with the people of this continent until finally a wall tumbled down and an iron curtain, too, and from western europe to east, from south america to southeast asia, 70 years of Democratic Movement spread. And nations that once knew only the blinders of fear began to taste the blessings of freedom. None of that would have happened without the men who were willing to lay down their lives for people theyd never met and ideals they couldnt live without. None of it would have happened without the troops president roosevelt called the lifeblood of america, the hope of the world. They left home barely more than boys. They returned home heroes. To their great credit, that is not how this generation [ inaudible ]. After the war some put away their medals. They were quiet about their service. Moved on. Some carrying shrapnel and scars found it was much harder. Many, like my grandfather, who served in pattons army, lived a quiet life, trading one uniform and set of responsibilities for another as a teacher or doctor or salesman or engineer, a dad, a grandpa. Our country made sure millions of them earned a college education, opening up opportunity on an unprecedented scale. They married those sweethearts and bought new homes and raised families and built businesses, lifting up the greatest middle class the world has ever known. And through it all they were inspired, i suspect, by memories of fallen brothers. Memories that drove them to live their lives each day as best they possibly could. Whenever the world makes you cynical, stop and think of these men. Whenever you lose hope, stop and think of these men. Think of wilson caldwell, who was told he couldnt pilot a plane without a High School Degree so he decided to jump out of a plane instead. And he did here on dday. With the 101st airborne when he was just 16 years old. Think of harry kulkowitz, a jewish son of immigrants who fudged his age to join his friends in the fight. Dont worry, harry, the statute of limitations has expired. He came ashore at utah beach on dday. And now that he has come back, we said he could have anything he wants for lunch today. He helped liberate this coast, after all. But he said a hamburger would do fine. Whats more american than that . Think of rock merit. Who saw a recruitment poster asking him if he was man enough to be a paratrooper. So he signed up on the spot. That decision landed him here on dday with the 508th regiment, the unit that suffered heavy casualties. And 70 years later it said that all across ft. Bragg, they know rock. Not just for his exploits on dday or his 35 years in the army, but because 91yearold rock merit still spends his time speaking to the young men and women of todays army and still bleeds o. D. Green for his 82nd airborne. Whenever the world makes you cynical, whenever you doubt that courage and goodness is possible, stop and think of these men. Wilson and harry and rock, they are here today. Although i know we already gave them a rousing round of applause, along with all our veterans at dday, if you can stand. If not, please raise your hand. Let us recognize your service once more. These men waged war so we might know peace. They sacrificed so we might be free. They fought in hopes of a day when wed no longer need to fight. We are grateful to them. [ cheers and applause ] and, gentlemen, i want each of you to know that your legacy is in good hands. In a time when it has never been more tempting to pursue marrow selfinterests, to slough off common endeavor, this generation of americans, a new generation, our men and women of war, have chosen to do their part as well. Rock, i want you to know that Staff Sergeant melvin, martin who is here today, is following in your footsteps. He just had to become an american first because melvin was born in honduras. Moved to the United States, joined the army. After tours in iraq and afghanistan, he was reassigned to the 82nd airborne. Sunday hell parachute into normandy. I became part of a family of real american heroes, he said. The paratroopers of the 82nd. Wilson, you should know that specialist rodriguez joined the army not two years ago. Was assigned to the 181st airborne and earned the title of air assault soldier of the year. Thats inspire but not surprising when the women of todays military have taken on responsibilities like combat nev like never before. [ applause ] i want each of you to know that their commitment to their fellow Service Members and veterans, Sergeant First Class brian hawthornes grandfather served under general patten and under general mcarthur. Brian served two tours in iraq, earned the bronze star in baghdad for saving the life of his best friend, and today he and his wife help other families. He is here to participate in sundays jump. Here just yesterday he reenlisted in the army reserve. And this generation, this 9 11 generation of Service Members, they, too, felt something. They answered some call. They said i will go. They, too, chose to serve a cause thats greater than themselves. Many even after they knew theyd be sent into harms way. And for more than a decade they have endured tour after tour. Sergeant first class Cory Remsburg has served ten. I told his incredible story before. Most recently when he sat with my wife michelle at the state of the union address. It was here at omaha beach on the 65th anniversary of dday where i first met cory and his fellow army rangers after their made their own jump into normandy. The next time i saw him he was in the hospital unable to speak or walk after an ied nearly killed him in afghanistan. But over the past five years, cory has grown stronger, learning to speak again and stand again and walk again, and earlier this year he jumped out of a plane again. And the first words cory said after his accident echoed those words first shouted all those years ago on this beach. Rangers, lead the way. [ applause ] so cory has come back with melvin and janice and brian and their fellow active service duty members. We thank them for their service. They are a reminder that tradition represented by these gentlemen continues. We are on this earth for only a moment in time. And fewer of us have parents and grandparents to tell us about what the veterans of dday did here 70 years ago. As i was landing on marine one i told my staff, i dont think there is a time where i miss my grandfather more, where i would be more happy to have him here. Than this day. So we have to tell their stories for them. We have to do our best to uphold in our own lives the values that they were prepared to die for. We have to honor those who Carry Forward that legacy. Recognizing that people cannot live in freedom unless free people are prepared to die for it. And as todays wars come to an end, this generation of servicemen and women will step out of uniform and they, too, will build fm lease and lives of their own. They will become leaders in their communities and commerce and industry and perhaps politics. The leaders we need for the beach heads of our time. And god willing, they, too, will grow old in the land they helped to keep free. And some day future generations, whether 70 or 700 years hence, will gather at places like this to honor them. And to say that these were generations of men and women who proved once again that the United States of america is and will remain the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known. May god bless our veterans and all who serve with them, including those who rest here in eternal peace and may god bless all who serve today for the peace and security of the world. May god bless the people of france and may god bless our United States of america. [ cheers and applause ]