[applause] >> thank you, alex. on behalf of the friends of the national world war ii memorial and national park service, i welcome you to today's 80th anniversary of the d-day commemorations at the national world war ii memorial. i am now pleased to introduce the official party for today's commemoration. mr. toby roosevelt great-grandson of franklin and eleanor roosevelt and a member of the friends of the national world war ii memorial board of directors. [applause]

rondi elliott, daughter of army corporal frank elliott, killed in action june 6, 1944. [applause] from the national park service, superintendent of the national mall and memorial park's, mr. jeff rheingold. [applause] friemrs. jane dropa.

[applause] united states mint director, miss bentris gibson. [applause] and from the military district of washington, our chaplain for today's event is chaplain will horton. [applause] at this time, please rise for the presentation of colors, the playing of the united states national anthem by the united

states marine brass quintet, and the invocation by chaplain horton. >> hut hut hut. >> colors hallt. present arms.

♪ ♪ [national anthem] ♪ ♪ [national anthem] ♪ ♪ [national anthem] ♪

>> right. order, arms. hut. turn march. >> hut, hut, hut. hut, hut, hut. >> would you join me in a word of prayer?

mighty god, we thank you for the strength of the nation that we love and the military forces that over the years have comprehensively trained and built a proportional force to defend our nation in a time of war. a force that ethically and others. on this at -- 80th anniversary of d-day, we commemorate the combined efforts of the american military ranches in the allied forces who came together in the infamous hedgerows of normandy. good men and women fought for liberty and thousands of our allied forces paid the sacrifice. the scars forged the bedrock that led to the ultimate defeat of the rising tierney ofrmany. your presence has enabled us to build strong alliances between nations and leaders in order to defeat threats to democracy, human rights and freedom. your merciful power allows our military forces to defeat the

darkness of that day and every day since then we have had the hope of liberty and justice for all. help us to remember the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, to consider their hurts and their needs more highly than their own. god bless our nation, the organizations that make the ceremony possible. bless the great citizens of the united states of america and all of those who strive to uphold the ideals that our nation's heroes fought to safeguard. god bless our servicemen and women, past and present, here and around the world, and their families. god bless america, in your holy name i pray, amen. >> please be seated. before i introducespeaker, it is my great privilege to introduce

representatives of the allied nations who participated in the d-day invasion 80 years ago. without this united effort and contribution we would not enjoy the freedom that we enjoy and cherish today. from the embassy of australia naval attaché commodore david frost. [applause] from the embassy of canada armed forces assistant military attaché lt. col. martine aran. [applause]

from the embassy of the czech republic, defense cooperation attaché and assistant defense military naval and air attaché lieutenant colonel jan navatny. [applause] from the embassy of denmark defense attaché real admiral -- rear admiral jacob de russo. [applause] from the embassy of france, deputy chief of mission orly banal, and naval attaché john olivier graus. [applause] from the embassy of greece

defense attaché brigadier general markopolis gandolis. [applause] from the embassy of the kingdom of the netherlands, military attaché curdle -- colonel peter new in house=========neunhouse. [applause] frommajor general harold hagan. [applause] from the embassy of the republic of poland, mr. adam shivasalski.

[applause] just as they were vital in defeating tierney nearly eight decades ago, our allies continue to be indispensable partners in safeguarding freedom today. we are honored by your presence with us today. [applause] and now please welcome our first speaker, friends of the national world war ii memorial, mrs. jane droba. [applause] >> they switched podiums and welcome, everybody. [laughter] we are now going to have jeff rheingold take my place.

thank you. [applause] >> way to roll with it, jane. appreciate that. good morning. i'm the superintendent of the national memorial park's. on behalf of the parks service it is my pleasure to welcome you to the world war ii memorial on the anniversary of operation overlord, the invasion of normandy france, that marked the beginning of the liberation of europe and foreshadowed the end of the second old war. i would like to offer a special welcome to our distinguished guests, members of the armed services diplomatic corps who are with us, and most of all veterans, families, and friends we are humbled to be with you on this day, commemorating one of the most extraordinary days of the 20th century. i would like to thank the friends of the national world war ii memorial, the national

parks service partner in the care of this memorial -- partner does not sound enough -- friend, sponsoring today's event. it is a privilege and an honor to work with all of you to make sure that the sacrifices and accomplishments of the millions of americans who fought that war will never be forgotten. today we pause to remember the allied armies, to thank them they joined us in the battle for the beaches of normandy, reestablishing and the men who lead that great crusade. they landed on the shores of utah omaha, to free a continent and to stop one of the greatest forces of people that the world has known. more than 4000 men in the invasion force made the supreme sacrifice on the beaches and hedgerows of normandy. the fallen were fathers sons,

husbands, friends. we honor their sacrifice and acknowledge the gaping hole left in those families and communities for their loss. those who returned were forever changed. these were young men. many of them 18, 19 and 20, who answered the call to arms and took on this awesome responsibility far beyond their years. they were the true sons and saviors of democracy. their bravery still inspires many years later around the beginning of the end of that terrible war. we are privileged to have with us some of those young men who are here. the passage of time has not deemed their heroism, the heroism of their deeds or the memory of their accomplishments and we look forward to learning more about each of them in a minute or two. we at the national parks service

are committed to sharing their stories and making sure that the more than 4 million people who come to this memorial each year understand that the americahat we know today and the blessings that we enjoy as a free people were shaped by their deeds. as we look around this magnificent memorial, we notice numerous references to magnificent events -- to the events that occurred on the beaches of france 80 years ago. from the bottom relief to the cert -- simple word normandy on the fountain, the fdr prayer black, to the wall of honor where 25 of the gold stars represent the approximately 2500 american servicemen killed on d-day. immediately to my left, below the atlantic arch, a quote from general eisenhower taken from his delivered remarks to the troops that would make the invasion. he said, "you are about to

embark on a great crusade towards which we have striven these many months. the eyes of the world are upon you. i have confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. 80 years later for the rest of time, these words ring as true as they did june 6 of 1944. today the eyes of a grateful world are upon you. we remain forever indebted to our veterans for courage devotion to duty, and skill in battle. thank you. [applause] my pleasure to welcome back to the mic jane durban. [applause] >> welcome to the magnificent world war ii memorial for this day in our nation and allied

nations around the globe. a special welcome to our world war ii veterans. as we gather here to commemorate d-day, the battle of normandy, we are honored to be joined by president franklin delano roosevelt's great-grandson elliot toby roosevelt, as well as representatives who stood side-by-side with the united states in the great effort to defeat here any and fascism. thank you. i am also honored to be joined by my colleague, superintendent rheingold, who you met, director gibson, chaplain horton ron d elliott, and alex kershaw. earlier we had the privilege of hearing from alex, the resident historian of the friends of national world war ii memorial.

what a stirring and inspiring account of those first moments when americans first landed on omaha beach and began the march to liberate europe. alex has written some amazing books about world war ii. it is crucial for all of us to listen to expert world war ii storytellers like alex and to our veterans stories which the friends of the national world war ii memorial capture in archives on our website. it is important that we learn to be storytellers ourselves. the enduring impact of d-day along with the contributions of those who serve overseas and on the home front must always be remembered. equally important is that we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in this quest for freedom. later during the ceremony you will hear from a gold star

daughter whose father was killed we must never forget the families left behind. today, volunteers and members of the public are giving their time to read the names of nearly 9000 americans who were killed or remain missing during the battle of normandy and operation overlord and who are memorialized in the normandy american cemetery. over the course of approximately seven hours, we started at 5 a.m., and we will continue after the ceremony, these names are being read in front of the fdr d-day prayer plaque in the circle of remembrance, just outside the atlantic arch over there. it is said that a person dies twice. once when they take their final breath, and later, the last time their name is spoken.

the plaque contains the words of president roosevelt as he beseeched all americans to pray for the safety and success of our men and women in the armed forces and allies embarking on this essential mission to free europe. i invite you to take a short walk after the ceremony up to the circle of remembrance. you can read the prayer that the president invited the whole country to read with him 80 years ago tonight. friends of the national world war ii memorial is proud to have led the effort to add this special prior to the memorial, as well as to restore the circle of remembrance. 80 years have passed since d-day , but the legacy and lessons of that day and the days that follow the main vital to pass on to current and future generations. we must never forget the men and women who served and sacrificed

to bring freedom to millions around the globe. their remarkable efforts should inspire us in our own lives. let us learn from their character, the values they represented, and of the spirit of commonwealth, courage service, and unity that they embodied. we must imbue these values into our own lives and ensure they are passed on to future generations so that all may live up to the example set by the greatest generation. as we reflect on this day, let us come together, unified, and strive to embody the spirit of cooperation and determination that defined their generation. in doing so, we honor their memory and ensure that their legacy continues to inspire and guide us. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you, jane. we are now honored to hear from goldstar daughter ronda elliott whose father was killed on omaha beach 80 years ago today. [applause] >> miss gibson, mrs. dropa mr. roosevelt, mr. kershaw mr. rheingold, chaplain horton honor veterans, and anyone else who is important that i might have left out. it was very early in the morning. so early that even though the summer solstice was just two weeks away, the men on the boats, most of them little more than boys were exhausted.

they had been up since before dawn the day before, with no rest insight sight in the near future. what kept them awake was excitement about finally getting into the fight. account we hear and have heard about these men and their trip across the english channel. we have been told that they were miserably seasick. but the sound of waves crashing against their vote on either side each man was alone with his thoughts. the whole world was waiting for this day. at that moment the place of the

landings was still a well-kept secret. i doubt that any of those men on the boat knew that they were a part of history or indeed that they were going to participate in the most pivotal event of the 20th century. one of these young men was my 23-year-old father, franklin elliott. but he was hardly ever called that. he was known to family and friends as bud or buddy. he arrived at 0:630 hours in the morning. by way of a landing craft made tanks because he was a part of a five-man crew of sherman waiter tanks scheduled to land in the first wave. but like most craft that day they were blown off course, so i don't know exactly where they landed. but their objective was to land on the easy read sector.

their mission was to pave the way for the infantry who would come straight behind them and get ashore first. still on the boat, my dad had taken his position as a tank honor. the go order was given. the ramp came down. the tank lurched forward, with waves kind of pushing it a little closer to the beach when, bam, they were hit by a shell from a german gun hidden within one of hitler's bunkers concealed behind the beach. the giant machine stopped, but only in chest deep water. the tank was supposed to have been there protection, and now it was out of commission disabled and useless.

you can imagine their thoughts -- my god, what do we do now? since the water was only chest deep, each man started climbing out one by one. i am told that my father and another crew member helped the man get to shore and they took him as far up the beach as they could, the tide was coming in. then they waited and hoped for a medic to come along soon. from that moment on, it went from chaos to catastrophe to calamity. now the infantry troops were starting to land. in the midst of confusion, their only hope was to get across the beach and up the embankment on the other. the tankers that had suddenly become infantry took weapons from the bodies of the men who had already died, tried to help out where they could, and tried to move forward.

smoke, noise and of the wounded were everywhere. a new crisis occurred every single minute as they saw friends and comrades being richard before their eyes. they had to get off of that beach. -- butchered before their eyes. they had to get off of that beach. the movie was called "the longest day," for a reason. my father, my father survived the carnage for another 14 hours, hiding with his first sergeant among the brush halfway up the embankment. they were waiting for it to get darker. when it did, i am told that my father moved forward first. he had tripped a mind that had planted there by rommel's troops. the explosion instantly ended his life. what remained of his body, identified only by bought --

dogtags, was buried in a temporary cemetery near the beach and some years later was moved to the newly created normandy cemetery situated on the bluff overlooking omaha beach and the english channel. now this cemetery is a beautiful, beautiful place. but then, it was a place of violence and mayhem. a lot of good men from a number of the allied countries were killed on the d-day landings. i think my father was one of those good men. he was a senior at georgetown university, right down the road here, when pearl harbor was attacked. like so many manned and -- men and women across the nation, they stopped what they were doing, he and a friend left school and enthusiastically enhe was what people called well-rounded.

good at sports and good at academics. he was on the football team. he lettered in football and got honors on the school debate team. his plan for his future was to come home to my mother and me come back to georgetown, finish college, enroll in the school of foreign service, and go on in that career. how different our lives would have been if any of those things had happened. from the letters he wrote to my mom, i knew that he was a good and very patriotic, intelligent man. and probably, most important of all, or best of all, he had a sense of humor. i learned that from reading his letters. it in dear to me to him right away. of course. he was at training in the united states when i was born and was killed on d-day before i was two

years old. i never heard his voice. i have no memory of him. to say that his absence was the most significant factor in my life would be a complete and honest truth. if i miss someone i never knew, my mother missed him more. she went to work to support us and grieved him for the next 46 years, when she died. she never remarried. he was her first and only love. i am standing here today, but i represent roughly 180,000 children who lost fathers in world war ii. if any of them were here, each of them would tell you a version of the same story. today, here in america, despite the internal problems we are facing and which we have faced for the past 80 years we enjoy

more luxuries and advantages than any country in the history of the world. it is a shame that so many take it for granted. we owe these advantages to the founders of a -- the founders of this country, of course, that our freedoms have been protected by the boys who entered europe in 1944 and by those who fought in the pacific. all of them returned as men. we owe our freedom to the thousands of soldiers who did not return, who are buried in their hometowns or in the national cemeteries across the united states. those whose remains lie under white marble crosses in no cemeteries across europe, north africa, and the philippines. may we remember them, remember what it took to win that war,

and honor their lost lives by working for the survival of our precious republic and our democratic way of life. thank you. [applause] >> the marine brass quintet will now perform a special tribute in honor of our world war ii veterans. ♪ ♪ [brass band playing] ♪ ♪ [america the beautiful] ♪

♪ [america the beautiful] ♪ [america the beautiful] ♪

♪ [america the beautiful] ♪ [applause] >> it is a great privilege to introduce our next speaker mr.

elliott toby roosevelt the third, great-grandson of eleanor and franklin roosevelt, he served as a fighter pilot in the united states air force and air force reserve. he earned a bachelors degree from stanford university with honors and an mba from the harvard business school. he now serves as the principal in his families investment firm. mr. roosevelt. [applause] >> i would like to thank the friends of the national world war ii memorial for inviting me to the ceremony today.

i would also like to thank the audience for being here to commemorate the 80th anniversary of d-day. june 6, 19 44, i have course had not been born. my father was seven years old and it was likely that he had not yet gone to bed on a ranch southwest of fort worth texas where he listened to his grandfather pray before the country that evening. among his many legacies the normandy landings represented the delivery of humankind to a better world. where people reaffirmed at great costs the central ideas of human dignity, liberty, and the rule of law. the ideas upon which this country was founded. at a time when the outcome of the great contest to sustain those values hung in the

balance, the president of the united states chose not to make a speech, but with the people of this nation to make a solemn request to the almighty. a decision reflecting a worldview defined by humble acknowledgment of the limits of man and of man's ultimate dependence upon a just, all, loving god. for those like me, who have always lived within the light of that war's transcendent outcome it is all too common to have never grasped or never been taught the central character of world war ii. the united states and its allies faced a real here and now today existential threat. if we lost, we would live under the jackbooted of nazi-ism.

it was a fear that those born later have never known. as such, the fdr d-day prayer reminds us that the ideas that undergird our lives and which we take as givens are not given at all. that despite th of this country, as an embodiment of those ideas, the united states remains a delicate experiment. one of the many wonderful aspects of our democratic capitalistic system is that no matter what each of us does simply by working and by competing hard, each of us contributes to the vibrancy and strength of this country. however, when compared to the sacrifices of the men who hit the beaches of france on that day and others like them in other wars, few of us have given much to america's freedoms and protections that we have enjoyed our entire lives.

freedoms and protections that we love, freedoms and protections that we take for granted freedoms and protect jen's that the vast majority throughout history have never known. when we were born, these were simply handed to us. at 3:32 a.m. eastern time june 6, the invasion of normandy was officially announced. as word spread in the early morning, factory whistles blue, church bells rang, spontaneous gatherings took place, and throughout the day churches and synagogues swelled as citizens took to prayer. that evening, the president went on the air. the white house had earlier distributed his prayer in order that the audience could pray alongside hisif you would excuse the lack of a turn-of-the-century victorian accent, the following are his

words. "my fellow americans, last night when i spoke with you about the fall of rome, i knew at that moment that troops of the united states and our allies were crossing the channel for another and greater operation. it has come to pass with success thus far. so, in this poignant hour, i ask for you to join with me in prayer. almighty god, our son, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor. a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion, and our civilization. to set free a suffering humanity.

lead them straight and true. give strength to their arms. stoutness to their hearts. steadfastness in their faith. they will need thy blessing. their road will be long and hard. for the enemy is strong. he may hurl back our forces. success may not come with rushing speed. but we shall return again and again. we know that by thy grace and by the righteousness of our cause our sons will triumph. they will be tried by night and by day. without rest. until the victory is won.

the darkness will be rent by noise and flame. men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war. these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. they fight not for the lust of conquest, they fight to end conquest. they fight to liberate. they fight to let justice arise and tolerance and goodwill among all they people. they yearn for the end of battle for their return to the haven of home. some will never return. embrace these, father, and receive them, that aihara

servant, into thy kingdom. for us at home, fathers mothers, children, wives sisters and brothers of brave men overseas whose thoughts and prayers are always with them, help us mighty god to dedicate our renewed faith to the in this hour of this sacrifice. many people have urged that i call the nation into a single day of special prayer. but because the road is long and the desire is great, i ask that our people devote themselves to the continuance of prayer as we rise to each new day and again when each day is spent, let words of lips, invoking thy help to our efforts. give us strength too.

strength in our daily tasks to redouble the contributions that we make in the physical and material support of our armed forces. let our hearts be stout. waiting out the long travail bearing sorrows that may come. imparting our courage unto our sons. wheresoever they may be. lord, give us, give us faith in thee, faith in our sons, faith in each other, faith in our united crusade. let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. let not the impacts of temporary events, temporal matters of a fleeting moment, let not these

deter us in our unconquerable purpose. with thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogance i s. lead us to the saving of our country and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a short piece. a piece invulnerable to the scheming's of unworthy men and a piece that will let all amendments and freedoms reap the just rewards of their honest toil. thy will be done, almighty god. amen."

that morning, though no one knew it yet, a new, much brighter day broke for generations, the born and the unborn, including a seven-year-old grandson growing up in texas. as the author atkinson described , "as the invasion fleet moved to the awaiting dawn, for this moment mother nature set aside her famous indifference hallelujah saying the sea. hallelujah hallelujah." to the world war ii veterans here today, we are so lucky for you. may we now and in the future live up to your standard and live up to what you have conferred upon us.

thank you. [applause] >> now, please welcome united states mint director, ventris gibson, who will help us to honor our world war ii veterans. [applause] >> good morning to everyone. this is such a humbling experience to stand before you at the national world war ii memorial today. as we reflect upon the victories, sacrifices, and valor of the greatest generation. and thank you to all of our nation's veterans and to our distinguished guests who are here in attendance. to our gold star families, your

dedication serves to inspire us all continuously. miss elliott, mr. roosevelt iii thank you for sharing your stories today. these stories not only observe your family's legacy, but it preserves and articulates clearly informing our national history. to our partners at the friends of the national world war ii memorial, thank you for hosting this event and for continuing to inform and share the lessons of yesterday so we can continue to grow and we can continue to inform the next generation and generations of our history. as a proud veteran, i understand this if it can of never taking

freedom for granted. each star on the freedom wall, each beautiful wreath that we place today is a solemn reminder of the sacrifices that the greatest generation made to preserve and endure our freedom. no other generation in our national history came together to answer the call of their nation in such a pivotal way. me personally, i had three uncles who served in world war ii. they are not here with us anymore, but i remember the stories they told us when we were children, upon their return. the 2024 greatest generation commemorative coin for which i present united states mint today uniquely honors the service and

sacrifice of american service members, their civilian counterparts, and allied countries during world war ii. the coins in this program highlight an entire generation of brave americans who stepped up to preserve democracy and defend freedom. each coin shines a spotlight on this beautiful memorial and i can tell you that on behalf of the employees of the united states mint who not only designed eez in collaboration with so many important people but also take each coin that we produce, design, and put out to everyone to appreciate the passion is unrelenting. they have tireless efforts towards excellence and for that, i thank all of the mint employees who brought these to

you. we have depictions of the coin to my right in your left. the good news about the united states mint and the gold silver clad coins that we showcased for this memorial, it's my honor that right now the greatest generation commemorative coins are one of the bestsellers for the mint. what does it mean for friends of world war ii memorial? more than 60,000 coins have been purchased so far. right now the sale generated insert -- to help the memorial, $700,000 to help the

preservation of this edifice. to make sure that we maintain safeguard, and repair this site. the coins can be purchased by you or anyone else interested at the u.s. mint.gov website. i have to put that part in, is t. on behalf of the u.s., on behalf of the great veterans that we serve, thank you and god bless america. at this time, will you join us in honoring the follow [applause] -- honoring these veterans in the presentation of their coins. >> as the veteran names are called or they stand or wave director gibson will step over to present them with a 2000 24

greatest generation commemorative coin. -- 2024 greatest generation commemorative coin. created as a token of appreciation for their service. now, our world war ii veteran. mr. james barron served on ellis t 543 during operation overlord. d-day, it landed on juno beach, carrying canadian troops. jim made numerous trips across the english channel, caring or wounded soldiers. june 16, 1944, lst landed on omaha beach delivering tanks, troops, and supplies. after a storm stranded this -- stranded the ship, they landed

in portsmouth and resumed resupply missions. they earned a degree in chemical engineering had a long career at the atomic energy commission. [applause] retired army colonel frank cohen was joined -- was born in germany, 19 25, escaping to the u.s. with his parents at the age of 13. he served in the battle of the bulge, in the rhineland central europe and pains meeting russians at the alder river. he later served as a guard for nazi prisoners tried in the second nuremberg trial.

he has served in the military for 35 years including tours in korea and vietnam that was before retiring from his role as chief of staff of the military district in washington. [applause] with us in spirit are all of our world war ii veterans, including our dear friend the late hermann site check, who landed -- syche k, who landed on d-day. we are grateful to have his family with us, along with all of our veterans. please, remain seated while we prepare for the visual wreathlaying at the freedom wall. -- official wreathlaying at the freedom wall. ♪

♪ [brass band playing] ♪

♪ [brass band] ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[applause] >> representing the united states of america. goldstar daughter. world war ii veteran sir james

baron. [applause] representing the national park service. world war ii veteran colonel frank in accompanied by the national park memorial superintendent mr. jeff rainbow. [applause]

representing friends of the national world war ii memorial, our friends in the national world war ii memorial chair board member retired navy rear admiral, and alex kershaw. [applause] representing australia[applause]

representing canada, the armed forces military assistant attaché. [applause] representing the czech republic, the defense attaché and the naval air attaché. [applause]

the defense attaché rear admiral representing denmark. [applause] representing france, the deputy chief of mission and the naval attaché. [applause]

representing greece, the defense attaché brigadier general. [applause] representing the netherlands the military attaché. [applause] norway, defense attaché major general. [applause]

representing the republic of poland, the deputy chief of mission. [applause] representing all our allied nations, the maritime administration deputy administrator and chaplin will horton. [applause]

please rise for the playing of taps. ♪ ["taps" plays] ♪