FRANCE: WORLD WAR II VETERANS RECEIVE MEDALS TWO DAYS AHEAD OF 60TH ANNIVERSARY D-DAY CELEBRATIONS

Record ID: 208347

  • Title: FRANCE: WORLD WAR II VETERANS RECEIVE MEDALS TWO DAYS AHEAD OF 60TH ANNIVERSARY D-DAY CELEBRATIONS
  • Date: 5th June 2004
  • Summary: (U6) CAEN, FRANCE (4 JUNE 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SLV MILITARY BAND PLAYING; MILITARY ATTENDING CEREMONY; MV FRENCH VETERANS AT CEREMONY; SCU MEMBER OF MILITARY; SLV/SCU VETERANS 0.39 2. MV MV BRITISH VETERAN JAMES EDWARD CORRIGAN RECEIVING MEDAL; CLOSE-UP OF MEDAL 0.49 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH VETERAN JAMES EDWARD CORRIGAN, SAYING "Very, very kind of you, the French because I've been coming across for 20 years, never missed a time and they still remember us, very good ..in the Arromanches (unintelligible) on D-Day, at the first hour. You're very kind. Thank you very much indeed for your kindness." 1.17 4. MV VETERAN RECEIVING MEDALS; MV WOMAN CRYING, EMBRACED BY DECORATED VETERAN; CLOSE-UP OF VETERAN WITH WATERY EYES 1.40 5. MV VETERANS TAKING PICTURES OF NORMANDY LIBERTY BELL; MV VETERANS POSING FOR PICTURES 2.06 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 20th June 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CAEN, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVA1U3AZ8PWON1XCCVQ753OHA2CS
  • Story Text: WWII veterans receive medals in the Normandy city of
    Caen, two days ahead of 60th anniversary D-Day celebrations.

    Several dozen veterans from various allied
    nationalities received medals at a moving ceremony held in
    Caen on Friday (June 4, 2004). The event was part of the series
    of commemoration ceremonies being held in Normandy to mark
    the 60th anniversary of the American landing on French
    coasts that signalled the beginning of the end of World War
    II on June 6, 1944.

    Many of the veterans wore berets and showed various
    medals on their chests. The men and women, most of them in
    their early 80's, sat quietly through the ceremony. Some of
    them were visibly moved by the experience that brought back
    memories of the savage fighting in Normandy and other parts
    of France.

    "Very, very kind of you, the French, because I've been
    coming across for 20 years, never missed a time, and they
    still remember us," said British veteran James Edward
    Corrigan after receiving his medal.

    The decoration ceremony took place at the Regional
    Council building, where an exact replica of the
    Philadelphia Liberty Bell had been inaugurated earlier in
    the day.

    Dozens of other celebrations are being held in Normandy
    over the anniversary weekend, at 19 different sites. War
    veterans will be guests of honour at many of them. The 60th
    anniversary is of special importance because it is likely
    to be the last major anniversary in which a significant
    number of veterans will be present.

    The American landing in Normandy was the biggest and
    most complex military operation in history.

    The anniversary celebrations on Sunday (June 6, 2004) will
    bring together war time victors United States and Britain
    and their former enemy Germany, smaller allied nations
    whose soldiers were there on D-Day, and the big one whose
    men were not - Russia.

    They won't all look back on the longest day as mainly a
    triumph of Allied military might. The Germans now talk
    about it as the dawn of their liberation from Nazism and
    Russians tend to rank D-Day second to their 1943 victory at
    Stalingrad.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register