More than 60 World War II veterans left Dallas for France on Friday, where they will participate in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The group ranges from 96 to 107 years old, according to American Airlines, which is the first to fly them to Paris. The flight is one of several who take veterans to France for the commemoration.
The group will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Suresnes American Cemetery, visit the Eiffel Tower and take part in a daily ceremony known as le Ravivage de la Flamme, which honors fallen French soldiers at the Arc de Triomphe.
L.M. Otero / AP
They will then head to the Normandy region for events including wreath-laying ceremonies on the beaches of Omaha and Utah, two of the landing sites for Allied troops.
Nearly 160,000 Allied troops, including 73,000 from the United States, landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, during a large-scale amphibious operation designed to break through heavily fortified German defenses and begin the liberation of Western Europe.
According to the Necrology Project, a total of 4,415 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself, including approximately 2,500 Americans. More than 5,000 were injured.
The group traveling from Dallas includes six Medal of Honor recipients from wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam who want to honor World War II veterans.
There are also two Rosie the Riveters, representing women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war.
Hundreds of thousands of military women from Allied countries also worked in crucial non-combat roles, such as code breakers, ship plotters, radar operators and cartographers.
There are several ceremonies to commemorate the day in France and to thank veterans, some of whom will make the long transatlantic journey despite old age, fatigue and physical problems.
“We will never forget it. And we have to tell them,” Philippe Étienne, president of memorial organizer Liberation Mission, told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, with only about 100,000 American World War II veterans still alive, the National World War II Museum in New Orleans is working to preserve their memories.
To reach new generations, the museum sends course programs to schools across the country and features compelling exhibits, such as the one on the Pacific War.
“I think this story is critical for them going forward,” Michael Arvites, a teacher at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, told CBS News. “In a world that is constantly changing, there are threats that are new, and some threats that are old.”
Steve Ellis served on an invasion landing craft in the Pacific during World War II and recently shared his stories with Holy Cross High seniors.
“Do you remember being nervous that first time in a fight, or do you feel like your training prepared you for that moment, or what were your feelings about it?” one student asked.
“For me, and I think most of my contemporaries, when we’re in battle, no – not nervous at all, we’re just doing our job,” Ellis replied.
— Barry Petersen contributed to this report.
