TAMPA, Fla. — This Thursday marks 80 years since Allied armies invaded the beaches of Normandy. And to commemorate the milestone anniversary, surviving D-Day veterans are making the pilgrimage back to France.
Four of those veterans, all in their late 90s, flew from Tampa International Airport on an all-expenses paid trip to participate in the 80th D-Day anniversary events:
- Malen Griep, 98
- Hector Hita Sr., 97
- Angel Manuel Maldonado, 97
- Stearns Poor, 96
To honor their service, dozens from the Tampa Bay community turned up to give them a warm send-off.
The TSA Honor Guard and local students from the Civil Air Patrol Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron escorted the WWII veterans out to their gate where the entire Airside E gave them a standing ovation.
For some of the veterans, this was their first time back in France since the war. And for many other centenarian veterans they'll be joining on the sands of Omaha Beach, it will likely be their last.
As decades pass, D-Day anniversaries in Normandy have become increasingly fun-fair-like with WWII-era fans dressed in the uniforms and driving restored vehicles of the time. But the presence of an ever-dwindling number of veterans keeps the commemorations real, inevitably raising questions about whether the memories and lessons of WWII will fade when they are gone.
Veterans who visited Normandy this week remembered fallen friends, relived horrors they experienced in combat and blessed their good fortune for surviving.
They also bore a message for generations behind them, who owe them so much: Don't forget what we did.
More than 4,400 Allied troops were killed on D-Day, including more than 2,500 Americans. The Allied toll grew appallingly in the Battle of Normandy that ensued, with 73,000 killed and 153,000 wounded.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.