6月6日,川普总统出席法国举办的诺曼底登陆75周年纪念活动,并发表感人肺腑的演说。
当地时间6月5日,川普总统在英国港口城市朴次茅斯举行的诺曼底登陆75周年纪念活动中发表演讲,引用了1944年时任总统罗斯福说过的一段话。
6月6日,川普和夫人在诺曼底美军公墓悼念这些为消灭邪恶而献身的勇士们。

【人民报消息】英国当地时间6月5日(周三),16个国家的领导人,其中包括英国女王伊丽莎白二世、英国首相特雷莎·梅、美国总统川普(特朗普)、法国总理马克龙、加拿大总理特鲁多、澳大利亚总理莫里森和德国总理默克尔等,齐聚英格兰南部港口城市朴茨茅斯,出席诺曼底登陆75周年纪念仪式。 伊丽莎白二世,这位于「二战」期间曾服过兵役的英国女王,在当天的纪念仪式上说:「这个世界的命运取决于他们的成功,或许他们中的大多数人永远无法再回来,但对于逝者而言,他们的英雄主义,他们的勇气与牺牲将永远不被遗忘。」 随后,川普也在纪念仪式上发表了演讲,他引用了时任总统罗斯福于1944年说过的一段话:「敌人很强大。他使我们的军队节节败退,但我们却一次又一次地打回来。我知道,凭借你们的眷顾,凭借正义的理由,我们的孩子们一定会最终得胜。」 1944年,为了从地球上消灭纳粹帝国的邪恶暴政,6月6日凌晨,超过15万盟军士兵从朴茨茅斯这座英格兰南部港口城市出发,对法国诺曼底这个古老的海岸线发起了海陆空协同攻击。 这场代号为「霸王行动」的战役成为「二战」欧洲战场的转折点,最终将西欧从纳粹政权中解救出来。 6月6日(周四),川普总统抵达法国,出席法国举办的诺曼底登陆75周年纪念活动,并发表了极为重要的讲话。 纪念活动在位于法国奥马哈海滩(Omaha Beach)的诺曼底美军公墓举行,那里安息着9,300多名在二战中阵亡的美军将士。 法国总统马克龙首先发言,川普随后上台发表了感人肺腑的讲话。 川普说:「今天,我们纪念那些倒下的人,我们向所有在诺曼底(Normandy)战斗过的人致敬。他们为文明世界赢回了这片土地。」 川普赞颂参加诺曼底战役的美军将士:「你们是我们国家的骄傲,你们是共和国的荣耀,我们衷心感谢你们!」「我们亏欠你们的是永远也偿还不了的。今天,我们在这里表达我们不尽的感激之情。」 川普还在讲话中点出了这场战争的伟大意义,他说:「这些人用生命从事了一场伟大的征伐,这是有史以来最伟大的征伐之一。他们的使命是一场史诗般的战斗,一段善与恶之间的激烈和永不磨灭的较量故事。」 2014年的70周年纪念活动邀请了俄罗斯总统普京参加,但今年把普京晒在一边。俄罗斯外交部及俄国媒体忿忿不平,连中共的新浪军事也发表文章说「与西方媒体大肆颂扬诺曼底登陆的伟大意义的同时,俄罗斯媒体却开始呼吁不要忘记了斯大林格勒保卫战,那才是真正的第二次世界大战的转折点。」匿名作者哇啦哇啦分析了一大堆,说是美俄不和造成的。 你怎么矫情,苏联的斯大林格勒保卫战也是保卫红色共产阵营老大,保卫的是苏联统治的地盘,保卫的是杀人如麻的斯大林。而诺曼底登陆战是消灭邪恶的正义之战,联军的将士不分国籍只为光明献身。两者怎么可以同日而语呢?! 75年过去了,苏联共产阵营垮台了,但前苏联的克格勃头子、俄国总统普京依然怀念昔日的霸权,变着花样不肯下台。不但如此,更是与中共勾肩搭背,在联合国里联手支持逆天而行的罪恶政权。所以,先别矫情让不让普京参加登陆日的纪念活动,先说说俄国政府有没有资格参加! 2019年6月6日,川普在盟军登陆日75周年纪念日(D-day)的讲话具有历史意义和现实意义。 站在神的身边的川普,在这一天吹响了反对共产邪恶主义的冲锋号!全世界的正义力量正在集结。比诺曼底登陆战更艰苦险恶的一场正邪大战已经开始了。 以下是人民报翻译的川普总统的讲话全文: 川普总统在盟军登陆日D-Day75周年纪念日的讲话 退伍军人 发布日期:2019年6月6日 演说地点:诺曼底美军公墓,滨海科勒维尔,法国 演说时间:欧洲中部夏令时,周四(6日)下午12:07 川普总统: 马克龙总统、马克龙夫人和法国人民;美国第一夫人和美国国会议员;尊贵的客人、退伍军人和我的美国同胞: 我们聚集在这里的自由祭坛上。75年前的今天,在这些海岸上,在这些悬崖上,10,000名男士,为了他们的兄弟,为了他们的国家,为了自由的生存,在此洒下鲜血,数千人牺牲了他们自己的生命。 今天,我们纪念那些倒下的人,我们向所有在诺曼底(Normandy)战斗过的人致敬。他们为文明世界赢回了这片土地。 今天与会的170多名第二次世界大战的美国退伍军人:你们是有史以来最伟大的美国人之一。你们是我们国家的骄傲。你们是我们共和国的荣耀。我们从心底里感谢你们。(掌声) 与会者中,有超过60位美国退伍军人在登陆日(D-Day)登陆过。我们亏欠你们的是永远也偿还不了的。今天,我们在这里表达我们不尽的感激之情。 (川普对台下的听众说)当你们年轻的时候,这些人用生命从事了一场伟大的征伐,这是有史以来最伟大的征伐之一。他们的使命是一场史诗般的战斗,一段善与恶之间的激烈和永不磨灭的较量故事。 1944年6月6日,他们加入了一支令人敬畏和惊叹的解放力量。经过几个月的规划,为了从地球上消灭纳粹帝国的邪恶暴政,盟军选择了这个古老的海岸线来开始他们的反攻行动。 战斗开始于我们头顶上的这片天空。在第一个紧张的午夜时分,载著17,000名盟军空降部队勇士的1000架飞机在这片头顶上空咆哮,他们将跳入这片树林上空的黑暗之中。 黎明随后来临。占领这些(海岸)高地的敌人看到了世界历史上最大的海军舰队。 距离海岸仅几英里的地方有7,000艘船,载有130,000名战士。他们是自由和独立国家的公民,他们出于对同胞和未出生的数百万人的责任而团结在一起。 那里有英国人,他们的高尚和坚忍不拔的勇气让他们度过了最糟糕的敦刻尔克战役(Dunkirk)和伦敦闪电战(London Blitz)。狂怒的纳粹倾注所有的暴力也没打过充满豪气的英国人。谢谢。(掌声) 那里还有加拿大人,他们强烈的荣誉感和忠诚感迫使他们从最开始、最开始的时候就与英国并肩作战。 在那里战斗的还有波兰人,坚韧的挪威人和勇敢的澳大利亚人。还有勇敢的法国突击队员,他们很快就遇到了数千名英勇的的本国同胞,其准备在法国无畏的悠久历史中写下新篇章。(掌声) 最后,还有美国人。他们来自广阔腹地的农场,来自繁华城市的街道,以及强大工业城镇的锻造工厂。在战争之前,许多人从未冒险越过自己的社区。现在他们献身于离家乡半个世界之远的地方。 为保住这个代号为奥马哈(Omaha)的海滩,纳粹份子用了凶猛的火力、成千上万的地雷和埋入沙滩很深的尖刺。这里,成千上万的美国人来到的正是这里。 那天早上,走上登陆艇的士兵知道,他们肩负的不只是一个军人背包,而是世界的命运。 加入第一波攻击的第16步兵团的乔治·泰勒(George Taylor)上校,被问道:海滩上很冷,如果德国人当时停止前进并停在那里,将会发生什么?你们仅仅只是阻止他们前进吗(而不是消灭纳粹军队)? 这位伟大的美国人回答说:「为什么(只是阻止而不是消灭),第18步兵团正在我们身后。第26步兵团也将出现。然后第二步兵师已经从海上过来了,以及第9师、第二装甲师和第3装甲师。其余全部(盟军)都来了。也许16步兵团不成功,但有人会。」 泰勒第16军团中一名男子是陆军军医雷·兰伯特(Ray Lambert)。(75年前)雷当时只有23岁,他已经在北非和西西里岛战斗中赢得了三个紫心勋章和两个银星勋章,在那里他和他的哥哥比尔(Bill)并肩作战,他的哥哥(现在)已经过世。 在凌晨时分,两兄弟站在亨利科(Henrico)号攻击运输母舰的甲板上,在分别登上两艘不同的希金斯(Higgins)登陆艇之前,比尔对弟弟交代说,「如果我登陆没有成功,请,请照顾我的家人。」雷也请他的哥哥这样做。 雷的登陆艇上共31名勇士,只有雷和其他6人成功登上了海滩,他们来到我们(川普指演讲讲台)下面的这块地方。它被称为 「易红」(容易被血染红)。最后活下来的寥寥无几。雷一次又一次地跑回水里。他一个接一个地拖出倒下的战友。他的手臂被击中,腿被弹片撕开,背部被炸坏了,差点被海水淹死。 雷在流血中拯救战友的生命,他在沙滩上坚持了几个小时,直到他最终失去知觉。 第二天,他在另一名严重受伤的士兵旁边的小床上苏醒过来。雷环顾四周,看到了他的哥哥比尔。(用生命实践保卫世界人民的诺言)他们做到了。他们做到了。他们做到了! 现年98岁的雷今天与我们在一起,带着他的第四个紫心勋章和他的第三个来自奥马哈的银星。(掌声)雷,自由世界向你致敬。(掌声)谢谢你,雷。(掌声) 差不多两个小时之后,来自这些悬崖的无情火力把美国勇士们牵制在沙滩上,沙子被我们英雄们的血染成红色。然后,离我站立的(演讲台)几百码处,突破来了。战情逆转了,随之而来的是历史性的转变。 还是在海滩这里,德克萨斯州传教士的儿子乔·道森上尉(Joe Dawson)带领G连穿过一个雷区来到山边的一个自然山坳。就在我(站立的演讲台位置)的右边这条路径之外,道森上尉潜到敌人的机枪下扔出了他的手榴弹。不久,美国军队从(后来被命名为)「道森山沟」(Rout Dawson)开始进攻。多么出色的工作! 他展现出何等的勇敢! 斯伯丁(Spalding)中尉和盟军E连的人继续前进,摧毁这个犹如墓地的海滩远端的敌人的强大火力点,制止了敌人对下面海滩上的屠杀。 无数的美国人纷纷从农村涌出来,他们加入了来自犹他州海滩的美国军队,以及以「朱诺」,「剑」和「黄金」命名的同盟国军队,以及空降部队和法国爱国者武装力量。 第29师著名的第116步兵团的列兵(刚入伍新兵)罗素·皮克特(Russell Pickett)在第一波登陆奥马哈海滩中受伤。在英格兰的一家医院,皮克特发誓要重返战场。「我一定要回来的,」他说。「我一定要回来的!」 登陆日(D-Day)过后六天,他重新回到了他的连队。三分之二成员已战死;许多人在进攻后15分钟内受伤。仅仅来自弗吉尼亚州贝德福德(Bedfor)的小镇就失去了19位战士。不久,一枚手榴弹再次使皮克特严重受伤。伤势严重。但他再次选择了归队。他不在乎(伤残和死亡),他(认为军人的职责就是)必须在那里(歼灭敌人)。 然后他第三次受伤,昏迷了12天。他们以为他走了。他们认为他没有机会了。罗素·皮克特是有传奇色彩的A连的最后一位幸存者。而且,不管你信还是不信,他再次回到这个海滩上与他的战友们在一起。列兵皮克特,您今天的光临使我们所有人感到荣耀。(掌声)硬汉。(笑声) 到八月的第四周,巴黎获得了解放。(掌声)一些在这里登陆的勇士一路推进到德国的中心。有些人打开了纳粹集中营的大门,解放了遭受深不见底的恐怖大屠杀的犹太人。有些战士倒在其它战场上,在这片土地上永远的安息。 在这个地方被奉献给历史之前,这片土地归一位法国农民所有,他是法国抵抗运动的成员。这些都是伟大的人们。这些都是坚强而倔强的人。他的吓坏了的妻子在附近的一所房子里,紧紧抱着他们的宝贝小女儿,等着登陆日(D-Day)的结果。 第二天,一名士兵出现了。 「我是美国人,」他说,「我来这里是帮助(你们的)。」这位法国妇女喜极而泣。几天后,她在新添的美国坟墓上献花。 今天,她的孙女斯蒂芬妮(Stefanie)在这个墓地担任向导。本周,斯蒂芬妮带着加州92岁的玛丽安·雯(Marian Wynn)去墓地,这是玛丽安第一次看到她哥哥唐(Don)的坟墓。 玛丽安和斯蒂芬妮今天都与我们在一起。我们感谢你们为我们尊贵的英雄留下了永远活着的美好回忆。谢谢。(掌声) 9,388名年轻美国人在这些美丽土地上的白色十字架和大卫之星(代表犹太文明的六角星)下安息。每位逝者都被一个法国家庭认领。他们来自法国各地,照顾着我们的男孩(的坟墓)。他们跪了下来。他们哭了。他们祈祷。他们献上鲜花。他们永远不会忘记(逝者付出生命来保卫法国)。今天,美国拥抱法国人民,并感谢你们尊重我们敬爱的逝者。谢谢。(掌声)谢谢。谢谢。 致我们所有的朋友和伙伴:我们珍爱的联盟是在(反对邪恶的)激烈战斗中结下来的,在战争中经过考验,并在和平的祝福中得到证明。我们的关系牢不可破。 来自地球另一边的美国人被吸引到这个地方,好像它是我们灵魂的一部份。我们来的原因不仅仅是因为他们在这里做了什么。我们来的原因是他们是谁。 他们曾是年轻人,他们整个人生的安排就摆在面前。他们曾是丈夫,此时他们向年轻的新娘道别,把(消灭邪恶)的职责当作自己的命运。他们是还没有见过即将出生的孩子的父亲,因为他们有工作要做。以上帝为他们的见证,他们将要完成它。他们一波接一波地献身,没有疑问、决不犹豫、毫无怨言。 比美国武器的力量更强大的,是美国人心中的力量。 这些勇士们经历了一场地狱之火,但他们所拥有的自由、自豪和主权人民的强烈爱国主义信念,是任何武器无法摧毁的。(掌声)他们战斗不是为了控制和统治,而是为了自由、民主和自治。 他们向家庭和国家倾注爱 - 在中心街道,校园,教堂、周围邻居和家庭给予了我们充满爱的社区。 他们坚信美国可以做任何事情,因为我们是一个高尚的国家,有一群善良的人民,向一位正义的上帝祈祷。 特殊的力量来自于一种真正特殊的精神。充足的勇气来自充足的信仰。一支军队的伟大功绩来自他们深切的爱。 当他们面对命运时,美国人和同盟国将自己置于上帝掌控之中。 站在我身后的人会告诉你,他们只是幸运儿。正如其中一位最近所说的那样,「所有的英雄都埋葬在这里。」但我们知道这些人做了什么。我们知道他们是多么勇敢。他们来到这里并拯救了自由,然后,他们回家向我们展示了自由的全部意义。 看到我们取得胜利的美国儿女们在和平中同样不同寻常。他们建立了家庭。他们建立了工业。他们建立了一种激发整个世界的民族文化。在随后的几十年中,美国击败了共产主义,确保了公民权利,使科学有革命化突破,将人送上了月球,然后继续向新领域推进。而且,今天,美国比以往任何时候都更强大。(掌声。) 七十年前,登陆日(D-Day)的战士与一个号称千年帝国的险恶敌人作战。在战胜邪恶的过程中,他们留下的遗产不仅会持续一千年,而且会永世长存,只要灵魂知道责任和荣誉;只要自由能够保持在人的心中。 坐在我身后的男人,以及在我面前安息的男孩们,你们的榜样永远不会变老。(掌声)你们的传奇永远不会让人厌倦。你们的精神:勇敢、不屈不挠、真实,永不死亡。 他们流出的血,他们流下的眼泪,他们给予的生命,他们所做的牺牲,不仅仅赢得了一场战斗,不仅仅赢得了一场战争。那些在这里战斗的人们为我们的国家赢得了未来。他们赢得了我们文明的生存。他们为今后许多世纪,向我们展示了什么是爱护,珍惜和捍卫我们生活方式的方式。 今天,我们一起站在这个神圣的地球上,我们保证我们的国家将永远坚强和团结。我们将永远在一起。我们的人民将永远勇敢。我们的心将永远忠诚。我们的孩子和他们的孩子将永远、永远自由。 愿上帝保佑我们伟大的退伍军人。愿上帝保佑我们的盟友。愿上帝保佑登陆日(D-Day)的英雄。愿上帝保佑美国。谢谢。(掌声)非常感谢你们。 结束 欧洲中部夏令时:下午12:34(文/梁新)△(人民报首发)

2019年6月6日,美国总统川普在法国吹响了正邪大战的冲锋号!
下面是川普总统在登陆日(D-day)发表演说的英文全文: Remarks by President Trump on the 75th Commemoration of D-Day VETERANS Issued on: June 6, 2019 Normandy American Cemetery Colleville-sur-Mer, France 12:07 P.M. CEST THE PRESIDENT: President Macron, Mrs. Macron, and the people of France; to the First Lady of the United States and members of the United States Congress; to distinguished guests, veterans, and my fellow Americans: We are gathered here on Freedom’s Altar. On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their lives, for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty. Today, we remember those who fell, and we honor all who fought right here in Normandy. They won back this ground for civilization. To more than 170 veterans of the Second World War who join us today: You are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live. You’re the pride of our nation. You are the glory of our republic. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. (Applause.) Here with you are over 60 veterans who landed on D-Day. Our debt to you is everlasting. Today, we express our undying gratitude. When you were young, these men enlisted their lives in a Great Crusade — one of the greatest of all times. Their mission is the story of an epic battle and the ferocious, eternal struggle between good and evil. On the 6th of June, 1944, they joined a liberation force of awesome power and breathtaking scale. After months of planning, the Allies had chosen this ancient coastline to mount their campaign to vanquish the wicked tyranny of the Nazi empire from the face of the Earth. The battle began in the skies above us. In those first tense midnight hours, 1,000 aircraft roared overhead with 17,000 Allied airborne troops preparing to leap into the darkness beyond these trees. Then came dawn. The enemy who had occupied these heights saw the largest naval armada in the history of the world. Just a few miles offshore were 7,000 vessels bearing 130,000 warriors. They were the citizens of free and independent nations, united by their duty to their compatriots and to millions yet unborn. There were the British, whose nobility and fortitude saw them through the worst of Dunkirk and the London Blitz. The full violence of Nazi fury was no match for the full grandeur of British pride. Thank you. (Applause.) There were the Canadians, whose robust sense of honor and loyalty compelled them to take up arms alongside Britain from the very, very beginning. There were the fighting Poles, the tough Norwegians, and the intrepid Aussies. There were the gallant French commandos, soon to be met by thousands of their brave countrymen ready to write a new chapter in the long history of French valor. (Applause.) And, finally, there were the Americans. They came from the farms of a vast heartland, the streets of glowing cities, and the forges of mighty industrial towns. Before the war, many had never ventured beyond their own community. Now they had come to offer their lives half a world from home. This beach, codenamed Omaha, was defended by the Nazis with monstrous firepower, thousands and thousands of mines and spikes driven into the sand, so deeply. It was here that tens of thousands of the Americans came. The GIs who boarded the landing craft that morning knew that they carried on their shoulders not just the pack of a soldier, but the fate of the world. Colonel George Taylor, whose 16th Infantry Regiment would join in the first wave, was asked: What would happen if the Germans stopped right then and there, cold on the beach — just stopped them? What would happen? This great American replied: “Why, the 18th Infantry is coming in right behind us. The 26th Infantry will come on too. Then there is the 2nd Infantry Division already afloat. And the 9th Division. And the 2nd Armored. And the 3rd Armored. And all the rest. Maybe the 16th won’t make it, but someone will.” One of those men in Taylor’s 16th Regiment was Army medic Ray Lambert. Ray was only 23, but he had already earned three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars fighting in North Africa and Sicily, where he and his brother Bill, no longer with us, served side by side. In the early morning hours, the two brothers stood together on the deck of the USS Henrico, before boarding two separate Higgins landing craft. “If I don’t make it,” Bill said, “please, please take care of my family.” Ray asked his brother to do the same. Of the 31 men on Ray’s landing craft, only Ray and 6 others made it to the beach. There were only a few of them left. They came to the sector right here below us. “Easy Red” it was called. Again and again, Ray ran back into the water. He dragged out one man after another. He was shot through the arm. His leg was ripped open by shrapnel. His back was broken. He nearly drowned. He had been on the beach for hours, bleeding and saving lives, when he finally lost consciousness. He woke up the next day on a cot beside another badly wounded soldier. He looked over and saw his brother Bill. They made it. They made it. They made it. At 98 years old, Ray is here with us today, with his fourth Purple Heart and his third Silver Star from Omaha. (Applause.) Ray, the free world salutes you. (Applause.) Thank you, Ray. (Applause.) Nearly two hours in, unrelenting fire from these bluffs kept the Americans pinned down on the sand now red with our heroes’ blood. Then, just a few hundred yards from where I’m standing, a breakthrough came. The battle turned, and with it, history. Down on the beach, Captain Joe Dawson, the son of a Texas preacher, led Company G through a minefield to a natural fold in the hillside, still here. Just beyond this path to my right, Captain Dawson snuck beneath an enemy machine gun perch and tossed his grenades. Soon, American troops were charging up “Dawson’s Draw.” What a job he did. What bravery he showed. Lieutenant Spalding and the men from Company E moved on to crush the enemy strongpoint on the far side of this cemetery, and stop the slaughter on the beach below. Countless more Americans poured out across this ground all over the countryside. They joined fellow American warriors from Utah beach, and Allies from Juno, Sword, and Gold, along with the airborne and the French patriots. Private First Class Russell Pickett, of the 29th Division’s famed 116th Infantry Regiment, had been wounded in the first wave that landed on Omaha Beach. At a hospital in England, Private Pickett vowed to return to battle. “I’m going to return,” he said. “I’m going to return.” Six days after D-Day, he rejoined his company. Two thirds had been killed already; many had been wounded, within 15 minutes of the invasion. They’d lost 19 just from small town of Bedford, Virginia, alone. Before long, a grenade left Private Pickett again gravely wounded. So badly wounded. Again, he chose to return. He didn’t care; he had to be here. He was then wounded a third time, and laid unconscious for 12 days. They thought he was gone. They thought he had no chance. Russell Pickett is the last known survivor of the legendary Company A. And, today, believe it or not, he has returned once more to these shores to be with his comrades. Private Pickett, you honor us all with your presence. (Applause.) Tough guy. (Laughter.) By the fourth week of August, Paris was liberated. (Applause.) Some who landed here pushed all the way to the center of Germany. Some threw open the gates of Nazi concentration camps to liberate Jews who had suffered the bottomless horrors of the Holocaust. And some warriors fell on other fields of battle, returning to rest on this soil for eternity. Before this place was consecrated to history, the land was owned by a French farmer, a member of the French resistance. These were great people. These were strong and tough people. His terrified wife waited out D-Day in a nearby house, holding tight to their little baby girl. The next day, a soldier appeared. “I’m an American,” he said. “I’m here to help.” The French woman was overcome with emotion and cried. Days later, she laid flowers on fresh American graves. Today, her granddaughter, Stefanie, serves as a guide at this cemetery. This week, Stefanie led 92-year-old Marian Wynn of California to see the grave of her brother Don for the very first time. Marian and Stefanie are both with us today. And we thank you for keeping alive the memories of our precious heroes. Thank you. (Applause.) 9,388 young Americans rest beneath the white crosses and Stars of David arrayed on these beautiful grounds. Each one has been adopted by a French family that thinks of him as their own. They come from all over France to look after our boys. They kneel. They cry. They pray. They place flowers. And they never forget. Today, America embraces the French people and thanks you for honoring our beloved dead. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. To all of our friends and partners: Our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war, and proven in the blessings of peace. Our bond is unbreakable. From across the Earth, Americans are drawn to this place as though it were a part of our very soul. We come not only because of what they did here. We come because of who they were. They were young men with their entire lives before them. They were husbands who said goodbye to their young brides and took their duty as their fate. They were fathers who would never meet their infant sons and daughters because they had a job to do. And with God as their witness, they were going to get it done. They came wave after wave, without question, without hesitation, and without complaint. More powerful than the strength of American arms was the strength of American hearts. These men ran through the fires of hell moved by a force no weapon could destroy: the fierce patriotism of a free, proud, and sovereign people. (Applause.) They battled not for control and domination, but for liberty, democracy, and self-rule. They pressed on for love in home and country — the Main Streets, the schoolyards, the churches and neighbors, the families and communities that gave us men such as these. They were sustained by the confidence that America can do anything because we are a noble nation, with a virtuous people, praying to a righteous God. The exceptional might came from a truly exceptional spirit. The abundance of courage came from an abundance of faith. The great deeds of an Army came from the great depths of their love. As they confronted their fate, the Americans and the Allies placed themselves into the palm of God’s hand. The men behind me will tell you that they are just the lucky ones. As one of them recently put it, “All the heroes are buried here.” But we know what these men did. We knew how brave they were. They came here and saved freedom, and then, they went home and showed us all what freedom is all about. The American sons and daughters who saw us to victory were no less extraordinary in peace. They built families. They built industries. They built a national culture that inspired the entire world. In the decades that followed, America defeated communism, secured civil rights, revolutionized science, launched a man to the moon, and then kept on pushing to new frontiers. And, today, America is stronger than ever before. (Applause.) Seven decades ago, the warriors of D-Day fought a sinister enemy who spoke of a thousand-year empire. In defeating that evil, they left a legacy that will last not only for a thousand years, but for all time — for as long as the soul knows of duty and honor; for as long as freedom keeps its hold on the human heart. To the men who sit behind me, and to the boys who rest in the field before me, your example will never, ever grow old. (Applause.) Your legend will never tire. Your spirit — brave, unyielding, and true — will never die. The blood that they spilled, the tears that they shed, the lives that they gave, the sacrifice that they made, did not just win a battle. It did not just win a war. Those who fought here won a future for our nation. They won the survival of our civilization. And they showed us the way to love, cherish, and defend our way of life for many centuries to come. Today, as we stand together upon this sacred Earth, we pledge that our nations will forever be strong and united. We will forever be together. Our people will forever be bold. Our hearts will forever be loyal. And our children, and their children, will forever and always be free. May God bless our great veterans. May God bless our Allies. May God bless the heroes of D-Day. And may God bless America. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. END 12:34 P.M. CEST