COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France — When D-Day veterans set foot on the Normandy beaches and other World War II sites, they express a mix of joy and sadness. Joy at seeing the gratitude and friendliness of the French toward those who landed on June 6, 1944. Sadness as they think of their fallen comrades and of another battle now being waged in Europe: the war in Ukraine.
For the past two years, D-Day ceremonies were reduced to a minimum amid COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
This year, crowds of French and international visitors — including veterans in their 90s — were back in Normandy for the 78th D-Day anniversary to pay tribute to the nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the U.S., Canada and elsewhere who landed there to bring freedom....
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