Normandy marks D-Day’s 79th anniversary, honors World War II veterans
ON OMAHA BEACH, France — An overwhelming sound of gunfire and men’s screams. That’s how World War II veteran Marie Scott described D-Day, as Tuesday’s ceremonies got underway in honor of those who fought for freedom in the largest naval, air and land operation in history.
This year’s tribute to the young soldiers who died in Normandy also reminds veterans, officials and visitors what Ukraine faces today.
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On Tuesday, the whistling sound of the wind accompanied many reenactors who came to Omaha Beach at dawn to mark the 79th anniversary of the assault that led to the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi control. Some brought bunches of flowers; others waved American flags.
Scott lived it all through her ears. She was just 17 when she was posted as communication operator in Portsmouth, England. Her job was to pass on messages between men on the ground and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and senior officers who were supervising the operation.
“I was in the war. I could hear gunfire, machine guns, bombing aircraft, men screaming, shouting, men giving orders,” she recalled.
“After a few moments of horror, I realized what was happening … and I thought, well, you know, there’s no time for horror. You’ve got a job to do. So get on with it. Which is what I did.”
Now about to turn 97, Scott said D-Day was a “pivotal point” in her life.
“As a noncombatant, I was still in the war and I realized the enormity of war. People were dying in that moment.”
Scott said she was “disgusted” that another war was now raging on the European continent following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“For me, war should only be undertaken if it’s absolutely (necessary), if there’s no other way of solving the problem. It’s an atrocity. That’s how I feel,” she said.
British veteran Mervyn Kersh, who landed on D-Day on Gold Beach, said Western allies should send maximum military aid to Ukraine: “The only way to stay free is to be strong.”
Kersh, 98, added with a sense of humor: “I’m still in the reserve.”
