A “humbled” US President Barack Obama yesterday led an emotional tribute to the thousands of troops who gave their lives to liberate Europe from Nazism, on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings that “shaped the security and well-being of all posterity.”
Speaking at Omaha Beach in front of veterans resplendent in military uniforms complete with medals glittering in the sun, Obama said that their sacrifice and bravery had breached “Hitler’s Wall” and secured today’s era of democracy and freedom.
“By the end of that longest day, this beach had been fought, lost, refought and won — a piece of Europe once again liberated and free. Hitler’s Wall was breached, letting loose Patton’s army to pour into France,” a visibly moved Obama said in a speech interrupted by a lengthy standing ovation.
Photo: EPA
“Gentlemen, we are truly humbled by your presence today,” he told the veterans, many of whom were using wheelchairs and, well into their 80s, were likely marking the anniversary of that historic day for the last time.
“Omaha — Normandy — this was democracy’s beachhead. And our victory in that war decided not just a century, but shaped the security and well-being of all posterity,” he said.
After his speech, Obama warmly embraced a stooped veteran before bowing his head alongside French President Francois Hollande at a wreath commemorating the thousands that fell on June 6, 1944.
The two leaders then stood, hands on heart, with saluting veterans standing to attention behind them as a lone bugler sounded out and jets roared a fly-past through a gloriously blue sky.
For his part, Hollande said France would “never forget what it owes the United States.”
“This day, which began in chaos and fire, would end in blood and tears, tears and pain, tears and joy at the end of 24 hours that changed the world and forever marked Normandy,” he said as he opened the ceremonies.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II led a service at Bayeux cemetery, where nearly 5,000 Commonwealth troops are buried.
About 20 heads of states, royals and prime ministers were to mingle with veterans throughout the day at ceremonies on the beaches of northern France, where the biggest amphibious assault in history was launched in 1944.
Dignitaries — including the queen, who at the age of 88 is making a now rare foreign trip, and sparring world leaders Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin — gathered for lunch at a grand chateau before heading to the beaches for a solemn international ceremony.
The leaders gathered for an awkward group photo before lunch, with Obama and Putin seeming to avoid catching each other’s eye.
The gastro-diplomacy that erupted late on Thursday continued as the leaders feasted on a meal prepared by four Michelin-starred chefs.
Obama and Putin were set to dine just a few places away from each other, with Hollande, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Margrethe of Denmark, according to the official table plan.
The shuttle diplomacy appeared to have had some impact, as a potentially significant 15-minute meeting took place between Putin and Ukrainian president-elect Petro Poroshenko ahead of the lunch, also attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
NOVEL METHODS: The PLA has adopted new approaches and recently conducted three combat readiness drills at night which included aircraft and ships, an official said Taiwan is monitoring China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises for changes in their size or pattern as the nation prepares for president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comment at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, in response to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu’s (王定宇) questions. China continues to employ a carrot-and-stick approach, in which it applies pressure with “gray zone” tactics, while attempting to entice Taiwanese with perks, Tsai said. These actions aim to help Beijing look like it has
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,