FRANCE: WORLD WAR II VETERANS RECEIVE MEDALS TWO DAYS AHEAD OF 60TH ANNIVERSARY D-DAY CELEBRATIONS
Record ID:
208347
FRANCE: WORLD WAR II VETERANS RECEIVE MEDALS TWO DAYS AHEAD OF 60TH ANNIVERSARY D-DAY CELEBRATIONS
- 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.
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