Commemorations Mark 82nd Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy
June 7, 2025 – A series of commemorative events took place in Normandy, France, marking the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944. Six surviving World War II veterans attended the annual Ceremony of Remembrance at the British Normandy Memorial.
"They crossed an ocean to fight for their country on a continent that they'd never seen, to save a people they did not know."
— US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
The Commemorations
Commemorations began with French schoolchildren walking across Juno Beach to mark H-Hour, the time of the initial landings. The Jedburgh Pipe Band also marched across the beach.
An international ceremony was held at Langrune-sur-Mer, attended by French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and US Deputy Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby. UK Defense Secretary John Healey laid a wreath at the British Normandy Memorial, which lists the names of 22,540 British service personnel.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, joined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, laid tributes at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.
Statements by US Defense Secretary
Speaking at the Normandy American Cemetery, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that European beaches are "stormed by different, dangerous ideologies." He also questioned whether European capitals will act on immigration.
Hegseth further stated that Western countries have grown "comfortable" since World War II, adding that "freedom is not free" and "peace is not wished into being."
At a separate event, Hegseth said the servicemen "carried the hopes and prayers of a free world" and that they "crossed an ocean to fight for their country on a continent that they'd never seen, to save a people they did not know."
Background
On June 6, 1944, approximately 160,000 Allied troops from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, and other nations landed in Normandy, France, in an operation code-named Overlord. The operation aimed to liberate Western Europe from German occupation. It is the largest seaborne military operation in history.
The invasion was delayed by 24 hours due to storms, missing its original target date of June 5.
On D-Day, over 4,400 Allied troops were killed.
German casualties for the day are estimated between 4,000 and 9,000 killed, wounded, or missing.