1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:43,175 --> 00:00:46,342 D-Day was never very special to me. 4 00:00:46,377 --> 00:00:48,839 It's not something I ever celebrated, 5 00:00:48,874 --> 00:00:51,248 even after my son joined the U.S. Army, 6 00:00:51,283 --> 00:00:54,251 though he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, 7 00:00:54,286 --> 00:00:57,254 one of the storied units that participated on D-Day. 8 00:00:58,390 --> 00:01:02,919 Still, the history and the sacrifices seemed distant. 9 00:01:04,362 --> 00:01:07,198 I've always considered myself a proud patriot. 10 00:01:08,201 --> 00:01:12,368 I fly the flag, I've been to a lot of parades, 11 00:01:12,403 --> 00:01:15,866 and I'm always reduced to tears when the veterans pass by. 12 00:01:16,869 --> 00:01:19,540 But I had no idea how little I really knew 13 00:01:19,575 --> 00:01:22,609 about the soldiers that fought and died for my freedom. 14 00:01:23,579 --> 00:01:26,184 I knew even less about the men, women, 15 00:01:26,219 --> 00:01:27,911 and children they liberated. 16 00:01:29,046 --> 00:01:30,914 Until this D-Day. 17 00:01:31,917 --> 00:01:34,720 This is the D-Day that changed me. 18 00:01:35,558 --> 00:01:37,228 But this isn't America. 19 00:01:38,097 --> 00:01:41,529 It's 3,000 miles away across an ocean. 20 00:01:41,564 --> 00:01:45,060 And it's where I truly learned about freedom. 21 00:01:48,769 --> 00:01:53,178 In 2015, as part of a unit from the 101st Airborne Division, 22 00:01:53,213 --> 00:01:54,575 my son, Hunter was sent 23 00:01:54,610 --> 00:01:56,874 from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to Normandy, France, 24 00:01:56,909 --> 00:02:00,548 to represent the 101st in the annual D-Day ceremonies. 25 00:02:00,583 --> 00:02:02,319 Since it was a goodwill mission, 26 00:02:02,354 --> 00:02:03,914 I was able to meet him there. 27 00:02:05,258 --> 00:02:07,885 Hunter told me to meet him in the town of Carentan, 28 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:09,920 where a parachute drop was taking place. 29 00:02:10,956 --> 00:02:12,230 When I got to Carentan, 30 00:02:12,265 --> 00:02:14,232 I was desperately searching for anything 31 00:02:14,267 --> 00:02:17,092 that might give me clues as to where I was supposed to go. 32 00:02:18,271 --> 00:02:20,964 I was saved by parachutes falling from the sky. 33 00:02:22,407 --> 00:02:25,441 Following them, I found the area I was looking for. 34 00:02:26,972 --> 00:02:29,511 When I got there, what I saw made me feel like 35 00:02:29,546 --> 00:02:33,416 I'd been spun out of a time machine and into 1944 France. 36 00:02:34,518 --> 00:02:38,190 Willys Jeeps, 1940s bicycles, 37 00:02:39,523 --> 00:02:42,623 groups of American Gis just lying around in the grass, 38 00:02:43,857 --> 00:02:46,957 young women perfectly coiffed in period dress, 39 00:02:46,992 --> 00:02:51,126 children dressed up as World War II Gis or civilians, 40 00:02:51,161 --> 00:02:53,700 and American flags everywhere. 41 00:02:54,636 --> 00:02:57,374 It felt like I was on Main Street America, 42 00:02:58,201 --> 00:03:00,102 but everyone was speaking French. 43 00:03:00,973 --> 00:03:02,544 It was very confusing. 44 00:03:03,712 --> 00:03:06,911 And I found myself wondering, "What is going on?" 45 00:03:08,211 --> 00:03:10,618 This chaotic scene quickly came into focus 46 00:03:10,653 --> 00:03:12,521 when we were approached by a French woman 47 00:03:12,556 --> 00:03:14,985 asking for a photograph. 48 00:03:15,020 --> 00:03:18,362 This chance encounter brought me face to face with history 49 00:03:18,397 --> 00:03:20,925 in a way that I never could have imagined. 50 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,368 This woman, Flo Boucherie, showed us a jacket 51 00:03:24,403 --> 00:03:26,865 that had been given to her mother in 1944, 52 00:03:26,900 --> 00:03:30,132 by an American GI, after he had liberated her town 53 00:03:30,167 --> 00:03:31,738 of Sainte Marie du Mont. 54 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,203 And she explained that her mother, Dany Patrix, 55 00:03:35,238 --> 00:03:38,041 played a very special part in this World War II story. 56 00:03:39,418 --> 00:03:42,254 Her story was so compelling and unknown, 57 00:03:42,289 --> 00:03:43,750 I had to find out more. 58 00:04:16,081 --> 00:04:18,488 It dawned on me that Dany and her dress 59 00:04:18,523 --> 00:04:20,358 embodied the French spirit of love 60 00:04:20,393 --> 00:04:22,118 and gratitude towards Americans 61 00:04:22,153 --> 00:04:25,990 and all the Allies that I felt from everyone in Normandy. 62 00:04:26,025 --> 00:04:27,365 During my time there, 63 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,500 I watched French citizens ask veterans and soldiers 64 00:04:30,535 --> 00:04:34,966 to take photos, sign autographs, and hold babies. 65 00:04:35,535 --> 00:04:37,606 Celebrations and memorial services 66 00:04:37,641 --> 00:04:39,509 were held side-by-side. 67 00:04:40,941 --> 00:04:43,777 One minute, I was watching a parade, fireworks, 68 00:04:43,812 --> 00:04:45,614 or a sky full of parachutes. 69 00:04:47,013 --> 00:04:49,321 Moments later, I was listening to a speech 70 00:04:49,356 --> 00:04:51,521 about the sacrifices that had been made, 71 00:04:52,390 --> 00:04:55,217 or taking a tour of blast scarred buildings, 72 00:04:56,119 --> 00:05:00,123 blood stained pews, and vast cemeteries. 73 00:05:01,962 --> 00:05:05,194 And it made me wonder, how has this love 74 00:05:05,229 --> 00:05:08,065 and gratitude lasted all these years, 75 00:05:08,100 --> 00:05:10,441 and how many more stories were there, 76 00:05:10,476 --> 00:05:12,575 just waiting to be uncovered? 77 00:05:13,776 --> 00:05:15,941 I asked Dany's husband, Jean-Marie 78 00:05:15,976 --> 00:05:18,141 what he remembered about the liberation. 79 00:06:43,030 --> 00:06:46,361 Henri-Jean Renaud was 10 on D-Day. 80 00:07:25,974 --> 00:07:28,480 Over the course of my time in Normandy, 81 00:07:28,515 --> 00:07:30,779 I met many others, like Henri-Jean, 82 00:07:30,814 --> 00:07:33,375 who recalled with incredible clarity, 83 00:07:33,410 --> 00:07:35,553 the events of the D-Day landings. 84 00:07:35,588 --> 00:07:38,655 Henri-Jean's father, Alexandre Renaud, 85 00:07:38,690 --> 00:07:40,921 was the mayor of Sainte Mère Église. 86 00:14:12,875 --> 00:14:15,678 As I began to look more closely 87 00:14:15,713 --> 00:14:18,417 into untold, personal stories of D-Day, 88 00:14:18,452 --> 00:14:21,618 I discovered that no one understood the complex nature 89 00:14:21,653 --> 00:14:24,324 of the interactions between the French civilians 90 00:14:24,359 --> 00:14:27,998 and the American Gis better than Charles de Vallavieille. 91 00:14:28,033 --> 00:14:31,727 Charles took me to his family home, Brécourt Manor, 92 00:14:31,762 --> 00:14:35,236 located in Normandy, in the town of Sainte Marie du Mont, 93 00:14:35,271 --> 00:14:36,974 not far from Utah Beach, 94 00:14:37,009 --> 00:14:39,867 the westernmost of the five D-Day landing beaches. 95 00:14:39,902 --> 00:14:43,376 He told me this manor was commandeered during the occupation 96 00:14:43,411 --> 00:14:45,477 and turned into a German battery. 97 00:14:45,512 --> 00:14:48,876 This battery had four large guns on the property 98 00:14:48,911 --> 00:14:52,121 and their sights were trained on nearby Utah Beach, 99 00:14:52,156 --> 00:14:53,991 one of the two major landing zones 100 00:14:54,026 --> 00:14:55,993 for the American troops on D-Day. 101 00:14:56,028 --> 00:14:59,326 Disabling these guns was the first major objective 102 00:14:59,361 --> 00:15:01,999 of the 101st Airborne Division paratroopers 103 00:15:02,034 --> 00:15:04,001 that landed in the area. 104 00:15:04,036 --> 00:15:07,004 Charles also told me that his father, Michel, 105 00:15:07,039 --> 00:15:09,369 was the first family member to make contact 106 00:15:09,404 --> 00:15:12,537 with the Americans who'd just liberated his farm. 107 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:12,783 I was shocked to learn 108 00:18:12,818 --> 00:18:15,687 almost 20,000 French civilians lost their lives 109 00:18:15,722 --> 00:18:17,084 in the Battle of Normandy, 110 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:18,723 and many of the people I met 111 00:18:18,758 --> 00:18:21,924 shared heartbreaking stories of death and destruction 112 00:18:21,959 --> 00:18:23,926 as a result of the Allied bombings. 113 00:18:27,569 --> 00:18:29,602 Marie-Pascale Legrand's family 114 00:18:29,637 --> 00:18:31,835 was tragically impacted by the war, 115 00:18:31,870 --> 00:18:34,002 on both sides of the family. 116 00:18:34,037 --> 00:18:36,741 She began with her mother's side of the story. 117 00:22:09,923 --> 00:22:11,461 Other people I met 118 00:22:11,496 --> 00:22:13,925 also had harrowing stories of D-Day. 119 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:17,830 Denise Leconte was 17 and Maurice Lecoeur was 10 120 00:22:17,865 --> 00:22:19,535 when the battle began. 121 00:26:43,163 --> 00:26:45,592 I discovered that as towns and villages 122 00:26:45,627 --> 00:26:47,363 across Normandy were liberated, 123 00:26:47,398 --> 00:26:50,036 soldiers gave away uniform patches, 124 00:26:50,071 --> 00:26:51,708 parachute material, 125 00:26:51,743 --> 00:26:53,908 K-rations, and canned goods, 126 00:26:53,943 --> 00:26:58,011 along with Hershey bars, Lifesavers, and chewing gum. 127 00:26:58,947 --> 00:27:01,542 Any child who showed up at a mess hall was fed. 128 00:27:01,577 --> 00:27:04,116 Soldiers piled food on their plates 129 00:27:04,151 --> 00:27:06,382 and gave them to hungry children. 130 00:27:06,417 --> 00:27:10,287 They treated these kids as if they were their own. 131 00:31:43,199 --> 00:31:44,726 The humanity and compassion 132 00:31:44,761 --> 00:31:48,169 of the American Gis was not lost on the French civilians. 133 00:31:49,205 --> 00:31:51,700 I was told that over the six months from D-Day, 134 00:31:51,735 --> 00:31:53,977 until the port at Sainte Marie du Mont closed, 135 00:31:54,012 --> 00:31:56,870 the grateful people of Normandy invited many 136 00:31:56,905 --> 00:32:00,247 of the 800,000 American soldiers stationed there 137 00:32:00,282 --> 00:32:01,644 into their homes for meals 138 00:32:01,679 --> 00:32:03,613 and made them part of their families. 139 00:32:17,629 --> 00:32:19,970 Dany told me that she remembers three soldiers 140 00:32:20,005 --> 00:32:21,862 better than any of the others. 141 00:32:21,897 --> 00:32:26,009 She called them Tall Larry, Big Smitty, and Harry. 142 00:32:26,478 --> 00:32:29,243 These soldiers shared meals and memorable experiences 143 00:32:29,278 --> 00:32:32,840 with the Patrix Family during the summer of 1944. 144 00:32:33,576 --> 00:32:35,843 Dany made such an impression on Harry, 145 00:32:35,878 --> 00:32:38,450 that his wife Eleanor told an American publication 146 00:32:38,485 --> 00:32:41,057 about her husband having a "New girl in his life," 147 00:32:41,092 --> 00:32:42,586 in France. 148 00:32:42,621 --> 00:32:45,160 "Eleanor Kropnicki was a bit concerned of late 149 00:32:45,195 --> 00:32:47,998 when she received letters from her husband in Normandy, 150 00:32:48,033 --> 00:32:50,594 telling her there was another girl in his life. 151 00:32:50,629 --> 00:32:53,399 She wailed with an 'I knew this would happen!' 152 00:32:53,434 --> 00:32:55,203 Until Harry sent a picture 153 00:32:55,238 --> 00:32:59,603 of the petite infant, Miss Danielle Patrix, age five. 154 00:32:59,638 --> 00:33:03,508 Needless to say, Mrs. K is very much relieved." 155 00:33:03,543 --> 00:33:05,213 Her memories of Larry 156 00:33:05,248 --> 00:33:07,578 were more of a musical nature. 157 00:34:12,447 --> 00:34:14,843 It seemed to me, the French children were in love 158 00:34:14,878 --> 00:34:16,812 with their larger-than-life heroes, 159 00:34:16,847 --> 00:34:19,716 and they surely must have reminded some of the soldiers 160 00:34:19,751 --> 00:34:21,982 of their own families back home. 161 00:34:22,017 --> 00:34:23,357 Soldiers like Allen Hopper 162 00:34:23,392 --> 00:34:25,689 of the 92nd Chemical Mortar Battalion 163 00:34:25,724 --> 00:34:28,395 wrote about this to his own daughter Patti. 164 00:34:29,164 --> 00:34:30,826 "My dearest daughter Patti, 165 00:34:30,861 --> 00:34:33,202 just a short note to my sweeties sweety. 166 00:34:34,436 --> 00:34:35,842 Now that your Daddy is seeing France 167 00:34:35,866 --> 00:34:37,866 through the courtesy of Uncle Sam, 168 00:34:37,901 --> 00:34:40,737 I will try to give you a quick picture of what I've seen. 169 00:34:41,406 --> 00:34:44,004 The little French boys and girls are very friendly 170 00:34:44,039 --> 00:34:45,940 and appear to be quite happy children. 171 00:34:45,975 --> 00:34:48,745 The little boys wear skirts just like the girls 172 00:34:48,780 --> 00:34:51,011 and it's hard to tell them apart. 173 00:34:51,580 --> 00:34:54,751 They wear wooden shoes and it sounds like Borden's milk wagon 174 00:34:54,786 --> 00:34:56,852 when they walk down the street. 175 00:34:56,887 --> 00:34:58,293 At almost every cross road, 176 00:34:58,328 --> 00:35:01,054 there's a crucifix of our Lord Jesus Christ, 177 00:35:01,089 --> 00:35:02,693 and people that are traveling by 178 00:35:02,728 --> 00:35:04,728 can kneel down and say a prayer. 179 00:35:04,763 --> 00:35:06,994 Daddy has only been able to stop at a few, 180 00:35:07,029 --> 00:35:10,767 but when I do, I pray for my two sweethearts at home. 181 00:35:11,935 --> 00:35:14,441 Love from your Daddy, Allen." 182 00:35:16,247 --> 00:35:18,071 I believe stories like these 183 00:35:18,106 --> 00:35:20,909 are how the bonds of friendship between the Americans 184 00:35:20,944 --> 00:35:23,450 and the people of Normandy took root. 185 00:37:14,992 --> 00:37:16,992 Where the French children's relationships 186 00:37:17,027 --> 00:37:21,337 with the Gis began with Jeep rides, chewing gum, and candy, 187 00:37:21,372 --> 00:37:23,031 I learned the adults' bond 188 00:37:23,066 --> 00:37:25,231 with the Americans began differently. 189 00:37:26,773 --> 00:37:28,421 "Maybe that's when our special relationship 190 00:37:28,445 --> 00:37:30,676 with them really began. 191 00:37:30,711 --> 00:37:33,239 The fact that we'd been physically with them, 192 00:37:33,274 --> 00:37:37,320 all of those who had died, all of those dead bodies. 193 00:37:37,355 --> 00:37:40,488 It took us days and days to bury them. 194 00:37:41,722 --> 00:37:44,426 We did what their families would have done. 195 00:37:44,461 --> 00:37:49,090 We put flowers on their graves and we shed tears for them." 196 00:43:36,505 --> 00:43:39,539 Our son, Private First Class Frank L. Lusk, 197 00:43:39,574 --> 00:43:45,479 Army Serial Number 37283898, a paratrooper, 198 00:43:45,514 --> 00:43:48,548 was killed June 19th, 1944, 199 00:43:48,583 --> 00:43:52,860 in the invasion of Normandy, near Vinda Fontaine. 200 00:43:52,895 --> 00:43:55,830 He was to be buried in the 82nd Airborne Cemetery, 201 00:43:55,865 --> 00:43:57,832 near Sainte Mère Église. 202 00:43:57,867 --> 00:43:59,526 Would you try to find his grave 203 00:43:59,561 --> 00:44:01,935 and let us know if he is buried there? 204 00:44:01,970 --> 00:44:03,464 We would be so grateful to you, 205 00:44:03,499 --> 00:44:06,566 if you could tell us about his grave and the cemetery. 206 00:44:06,601 --> 00:44:09,602 Please excuse us for taking this liberty of writing to you, 207 00:44:09,637 --> 00:44:12,407 but we know you will understand how we feel. 208 00:44:12,442 --> 00:44:13,947 Thank you so much. 209 00:44:13,982 --> 00:44:17,819 Sincerely, Mr. & Mrs. Frank E. Lusk. 210 00:46:45,903 --> 00:46:47,727 When Michel de Vallavieille was asked 211 00:46:47,762 --> 00:46:52,039 why he thought he was shot, his answer was remarkable. 212 00:47:44,885 --> 00:47:47,358 First part of the story is the pain that you feel, 213 00:47:47,393 --> 00:47:49,360 because you've lost so much. 214 00:47:49,395 --> 00:47:50,933 But then, along the years, 215 00:47:50,968 --> 00:47:53,969 and through commemorations, the same Normans, 216 00:47:54,004 --> 00:47:57,335 they started to realize that they suffered, 217 00:47:57,370 --> 00:47:58,974 but the Americans suffered. 218 00:47:59,009 --> 00:48:02,307 And those young Americans, they came over, for what reason? 219 00:48:02,342 --> 00:48:05,211 They didn't come to conquer. The came to liberate. 220 00:48:05,246 --> 00:48:08,313 And once the job was done, they went home, 221 00:48:08,348 --> 00:48:10,953 leaving on the battlefield, their friends, 222 00:48:10,988 --> 00:48:12,383 who got killed there, 223 00:48:12,418 --> 00:48:15,617 and so that part of the story came along the years, 224 00:48:15,652 --> 00:48:16,882 through the commemorations. 225 00:48:16,917 --> 00:48:18,994 We started to realize that we had suffered, 226 00:48:19,029 --> 00:48:21,359 but those guys, I mean, they did not have to suffer. 227 00:48:21,394 --> 00:48:24,824 It was unjust to us to lose our parents, 228 00:48:24,859 --> 00:48:26,232 but how just was it for them 229 00:48:26,267 --> 00:48:28,971 to also get maimed and lose their friends, 230 00:48:29,006 --> 00:48:30,830 and it was not their country, 231 00:48:30,865 --> 00:48:33,668 so why did all these young Americans come over? 232 00:48:33,703 --> 00:48:35,219 And that is the second part of the story, 233 00:48:35,243 --> 00:48:37,210 that along the years, we started to learn. 234 00:48:37,245 --> 00:48:39,256 And we started to look into the heart of these guys, 235 00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:40,873 you know, "Why did you come over?" 236 00:48:40,908 --> 00:48:44,019 That's what those people started to ask the veterans, 237 00:48:44,054 --> 00:48:45,427 you know, "Why did you come over? 238 00:48:45,451 --> 00:48:47,880 You were 16, 17, 18, 19 years old, 239 00:48:47,915 --> 00:48:50,388 and you spent the best part of your youth 240 00:48:50,423 --> 00:48:52,555 fighting for a cause? 241 00:48:52,590 --> 00:48:54,821 Eventually, it became yours, but at the beginning, 242 00:48:54,856 --> 00:48:55,921 that was not your problem, 243 00:48:55,956 --> 00:48:57,439 the problem between France and Germany. 244 00:48:57,463 --> 00:48:58,594 This is unbelievable." 245 00:48:58,629 --> 00:49:00,233 And this message, I think, 246 00:49:00,268 --> 00:49:02,202 the French people understood along the years, 247 00:49:02,237 --> 00:49:05,403 maybe not in 1950, maybe starting in 1960, 248 00:49:05,438 --> 00:49:07,174 with the movies, they started to realize 249 00:49:07,209 --> 00:49:11,277 that they suffered, they were not the only one. 250 00:49:54,817 --> 00:49:56,586 I was told by those in Normandy, 251 00:49:56,621 --> 00:49:58,093 that it took the distance of time 252 00:49:58,128 --> 00:50:00,359 before veterans began to return. 253 00:50:00,394 --> 00:50:03,263 They would come to retrace their footsteps, 254 00:50:03,298 --> 00:50:05,727 find French citizens who'd helped them, 255 00:50:05,762 --> 00:50:09,104 and see what had become of the country they helped liberate. 256 00:50:09,139 --> 00:50:10,930 Many of the people I met 257 00:50:10,965 --> 00:50:13,141 were honored to serve as their guides. 258 00:51:11,168 --> 00:51:13,531 Profound and emotional moments 259 00:51:13,566 --> 00:51:16,336 happen regularly with the French in Normandy. 260 00:51:16,371 --> 00:51:18,569 Marie-Pascale Legrand told me 261 00:51:18,604 --> 00:51:20,868 about her life-changing moment. 262 00:52:40,488 --> 00:52:43,720 I discovered Marie's passion to repay her debt 263 00:52:43,755 --> 00:52:47,229 moved her to care for one of our most beloved American heroes, 264 00:52:47,264 --> 00:52:49,957 First Division Medic, Charles Shay. 265 00:53:45,586 --> 00:53:47,058 Flo Plana's gratitude to the veterans 266 00:53:47,082 --> 00:53:49,181 began at a very young age, 267 00:53:49,216 --> 00:53:51,656 when he discovered he wouldn't even exist, 268 00:53:51,691 --> 00:53:54,186 if the Allies hadn't liberated his grandfather 269 00:53:54,221 --> 00:53:55,825 from a German work camp. 270 00:53:55,860 --> 00:53:57,464 Over the past few years, 271 00:53:57,499 --> 00:53:59,961 Flo has spent time in the United States, 272 00:53:59,996 --> 00:54:01,534 traveling around the country, 273 00:54:01,569 --> 00:54:03,668 in search of World War II veterans. 274 00:54:03,703 --> 00:54:07,067 His mission is to thank them, photograph them, 275 00:54:07,102 --> 00:54:09,509 and record their stories for a museum 276 00:54:09,544 --> 00:54:11,379 he hopes to build in Normandy, 277 00:54:11,414 --> 00:54:13,612 so they will never be forgotten. 278 00:54:58,824 --> 00:55:00,329 Later that day, 279 00:55:00,364 --> 00:55:03,255 Flo learned that a World War II veteran was passing by 280 00:55:03,290 --> 00:55:05,400 and was willing to share his story. 281 00:55:05,435 --> 00:55:08,293 So, I followed him, to see what he was talking about. 282 00:55:08,328 --> 00:55:10,570 - Come on in. - Hello. 283 00:55:10,605 --> 00:55:12,902 - Bob Freesen. - Nice to meet you. 284 00:55:12,937 --> 00:55:15,806 I'm Flo. Yeah, Florent, but you can call me Flo. 285 00:55:15,841 --> 00:55:17,478 - Okay. - I'm from Normandy, France. 286 00:55:17,513 --> 00:55:18,809 - Really? 287 00:55:18,844 --> 00:55:20,558 Hard to believe you're a World War II veteran, 288 00:55:20,582 --> 00:55:21,746 you look so young! 289 00:55:21,781 --> 00:55:22,923 - Well, you speak good English, too! 290 00:55:22,947 --> 00:55:25,013 - Yeah. 291 00:55:26,423 --> 00:55:27,818 It's so nice to meet you! 292 00:55:27,853 --> 00:55:30,216 Do you remember when you arrived in your outfit? 293 00:55:30,251 --> 00:55:31,591 - When I what? 294 00:55:31,626 --> 00:55:33,263 - When you arrived in the unit? Do you remember? 295 00:55:33,287 --> 00:55:34,495 - Oh, yeah, I remember. 296 00:55:34,530 --> 00:55:36,057 - When was that? December? 297 00:55:36,092 --> 00:55:37,894 - January of '45. 298 00:55:37,929 --> 00:55:39,665 - January '45, okay. - In Belgium. 299 00:55:39,700 --> 00:55:41,007 - During the Battle of the Bulge. 300 00:55:41,031 --> 00:55:42,195 - Yep. 301 00:55:42,230 --> 00:55:44,439 Went to Belgium- - Yeah. 302 00:55:44,474 --> 00:55:47,673 - And was given an M1 Rifle 303 00:55:47,708 --> 00:55:51,413 full of cosmoline and a can of gasoline, 304 00:55:51,448 --> 00:55:53,844 and says, "Clean it up, you're gonna need it." 305 00:55:53,879 --> 00:55:55,747 And I did. - Wow. 306 00:55:56,178 --> 00:55:57,551 Wow. 307 00:55:57,586 --> 00:55:59,014 - And it was cold. 308 00:55:59,049 --> 00:56:01,456 - Yeah. That was one of the worst winters, actually. 309 00:56:01,491 --> 00:56:03,524 - Yeah. - Wow. That's great. 310 00:56:03,559 --> 00:56:06,021 - I slept a lot of nights in the foxhole 311 00:56:06,056 --> 00:56:08,991 and wake up in the morning with snow all over me. 312 00:56:09,026 --> 00:56:11,026 - Wow. 313 00:56:11,061 --> 00:56:12,830 - Wow, so is that okay, 314 00:56:12,865 --> 00:56:16,801 if we just set up some of my equipment and lighting, 315 00:56:16,836 --> 00:56:19,573 and ask you a few questions? - That's fine. 316 00:56:19,608 --> 00:56:21,707 - Wow. That's so cool. - Where do you want me? 317 00:56:21,742 --> 00:56:23,170 - They won't believe us, 318 00:56:23,205 --> 00:56:24,941 when we're gonna say you're 92! 319 00:56:25,376 --> 00:56:29,176 They're going to say, "Nah, he's not 92, he's younger." 320 00:56:29,211 --> 00:56:31,178 I would like to thank you very much 321 00:56:31,213 --> 00:56:33,818 for what you did a long time ago, 322 00:56:33,853 --> 00:56:36,117 to free the citizens of Europe. 323 00:56:36,152 --> 00:56:42,464 My grandpa was in a working camp for two years, until 1945. 324 00:56:42,499 --> 00:56:44,499 He was freed in April, 325 00:56:44,534 --> 00:56:46,567 thanks to you and your generation. 326 00:56:46,602 --> 00:56:48,327 So thank you very much. 327 00:56:48,362 --> 00:56:50,362 - Oh. You're welcome. 328 00:56:50,397 --> 00:56:54,971 I remember sleeping on the ground at night, 329 00:56:55,006 --> 00:56:59,107 and that they give us a steel helmet 330 00:56:59,142 --> 00:57:03,210 and that was one of the most versatile things in the war. 331 00:57:03,245 --> 00:57:06,411 We used it to cook with, for a potty, 332 00:57:06,446 --> 00:57:09,084 or for many things, dig a fox hole. 333 00:57:09,119 --> 00:57:11,218 - I heard a lot of stories about the helmet. 334 00:57:12,122 --> 00:57:14,089 Used to shave. - Yep. 335 00:57:14,124 --> 00:57:15,189 - Bathroom. - Yep. 336 00:57:15,224 --> 00:57:16,355 - To cook. - Yep. 337 00:57:16,390 --> 00:57:18,390 - Did you use it for everything as well? 338 00:57:18,425 --> 00:57:20,128 - Yep. 339 00:57:20,163 --> 00:57:22,735 I remember then after The Bulge, 340 00:57:22,770 --> 00:57:26,035 when we walked many miles every day. 341 00:57:26,070 --> 00:57:29,874 And some days, we'd get a chance to ride on British tanks, 342 00:57:29,909 --> 00:57:33,075 and we would get on the tanks and ride. 343 00:57:33,110 --> 00:57:34,879 But when it come time for tea, 344 00:57:34,914 --> 00:57:37,585 they would stop the tanks and have tea. 345 00:57:37,620 --> 00:57:40,049 That's the truth! 346 00:57:54,461 --> 00:57:58,540 - See, I was wounded in the left leg. 347 00:57:58,575 --> 00:58:00,300 I'd be in pretty good shape, 348 00:58:00,335 --> 00:58:04,139 if I hadn't got the wound in the left leg. 349 00:58:05,747 --> 00:58:08,440 Which was what I call my million-dollar wound. 350 00:58:08,475 --> 00:58:10,079 - Wow. 351 00:58:10,114 --> 00:58:13,280 Could you tell us what those mean, "A million-dollar wound?" 352 00:58:13,315 --> 00:58:14,413 - I sure can! 353 00:58:14,448 --> 00:58:16,415 It meant that you were wounded enough 354 00:58:16,450 --> 00:58:19,990 that you were disabled and weren't gonna go back 355 00:58:20,025 --> 00:58:21,486 to the front line. 356 00:58:21,521 --> 00:58:23,059 - You were coming home. 357 00:58:23,094 --> 00:58:28,328 - So I've been a millionaire ever since November 8, 1944. 358 00:58:28,363 --> 00:58:30,297 So. Here we go! 359 00:58:30,332 --> 00:58:32,134 Now I want you guys to listen. 360 00:58:32,169 --> 00:58:33,432 Get here and listen. 361 00:58:35,040 --> 00:58:38,613 Right here, I was person of the year in Ithaca. 362 00:58:38,648 --> 00:58:42,507 So there's the plaque on that. 2001. 363 00:58:42,542 --> 00:58:45,180 Following Flo around as he visited 364 00:58:45,215 --> 00:58:47,853 and interviewed veterans, taught me something, 365 00:58:47,888 --> 00:58:51,351 something so simple and yet so profound. 366 00:58:52,220 --> 00:58:56,290 The simple act of caring, asking thoughtful questions, 367 00:58:56,325 --> 00:58:59,832 showing genuine interest in these former service members, 368 00:58:59,867 --> 00:59:01,636 and then actually taking the time 369 00:59:01,671 --> 00:59:03,462 to listen to their stories, 370 00:59:03,497 --> 00:59:05,640 is the greatest act of love and honor 371 00:59:05,675 --> 00:59:07,873 these veterans could ever hope for, 372 00:59:07,908 --> 00:59:10,579 and one they so richly deserve. 373 00:59:11,879 --> 00:59:13,879 - We're so happy to be here with you today, 374 00:59:13,914 --> 00:59:15,650 so thank you very much. 375 00:59:15,685 --> 00:59:17,652 - Well, thank you for being here. 376 00:59:17,687 --> 00:59:22,657 - And so, Ceo, could you tell us where you were born 377 00:59:22,692 --> 00:59:25,385 and when, a little bit about your youth, 378 00:59:25,420 --> 00:59:28,597 and how you ended up in the Army? 379 00:59:28,632 --> 00:59:33,701 - Well, my name is Ceo E. Bauer, 380 00:59:34,704 --> 00:59:38,266 and I am almost 95 years old. 381 00:59:38,301 --> 00:59:44,074 I was born on a farm at Carson City, Michigan, 382 00:59:44,443 --> 00:59:48,375 on May 21st, 1923. 383 00:59:48,944 --> 00:59:53,281 - Ceo, you just mentioned before that, for you, 384 00:59:53,316 --> 00:59:56,724 it's better for them to be buried 385 00:59:56,759 --> 00:59:59,991 in a military cemetery overseas, where they fought. 386 01:00:00,026 --> 01:00:01,322 Mm-hmm. 387 01:00:01,357 --> 01:00:04,061 - Could you just tell us, with your own words, 388 01:00:04,096 --> 01:00:07,361 why do you think it's better to be buried, for example, 389 01:00:07,396 --> 01:00:11,871 in a military cemetery, you know, like your friend? 390 01:00:11,906 --> 01:00:14,401 - Because it's better taken care of. 391 01:00:15,303 --> 01:00:20,143 It's where it will be visited in the future, 392 01:00:20,178 --> 01:00:24,851 by both the French and citizens of the world. 393 01:00:25,953 --> 01:00:28,855 And it's where his relatives or descendants, 394 01:00:28,890 --> 01:00:33,156 if years later, if they decide they want to go to Normandy. 395 01:00:33,191 --> 01:00:36,027 I recommend everybody goes to Normandy. 396 01:00:36,062 --> 01:00:41,197 They should, in order to understand France 397 01:00:41,232 --> 01:00:44,332 and understand World War II. 398 01:00:45,234 --> 01:00:48,402 Probably for we veterans that went back, 399 01:00:48,437 --> 01:00:51,713 probably the greatest experience we ever had in our lives. 400 01:00:51,748 --> 01:00:57,279 You know, I just couldn't believe what occurred 401 01:00:57,314 --> 01:01:02,383 when we got to the first liberation ceremony in Metz. 402 01:01:02,418 --> 01:01:05,023 But then in the city square, 403 01:01:07,357 --> 01:01:10,765 they hold a ceremony there like you wouldn't believe. 404 01:01:10,800 --> 01:01:14,967 They play the "Marseillaise," the French Army, 405 01:01:15,002 --> 01:01:17,497 the U.S. Army, 406 01:01:17,532 --> 01:01:22,403 our national anthem, you know, 407 01:01:22,438 --> 01:01:26,473 hell, they play the "Star Spangled Banner" 408 01:01:26,508 --> 01:01:29,850 and the "Marseillaise" about three or four times. 409 01:01:29,885 --> 01:01:31,610 "Oh we're gettin' it again!" 410 01:01:31,645 --> 01:01:33,645 One after the other, you know. 411 01:01:33,680 --> 01:01:37,385 And the people are there, and they want to talk to ya. 412 01:01:40,720 --> 01:01:45,294 For the French, if we can get where the fighting was, 413 01:01:45,329 --> 01:01:49,001 like Mézières, where they were blown down, 414 01:01:49,036 --> 01:01:52,807 and where they know, they can't honor us enough. 415 01:01:53,733 --> 01:01:57,207 But here in the USA, 416 01:01:57,242 --> 01:02:01,783 people are not too much interested. 417 01:02:01,818 --> 01:02:04,676 Their eyes glaze over. 418 01:02:04,711 --> 01:02:07,250 Nobody would listen to me, 419 01:02:09,221 --> 01:02:11,353 if they don't know me, 420 01:02:11,388 --> 01:02:17,392 or they aren't motivated to be, historically. 421 01:02:17,427 --> 01:02:21,099 Ah, two minutes would be the most. 422 01:02:23,433 --> 01:02:29,635 Right now, people, for all veterans, all wars, 423 01:02:29,670 --> 01:02:35,410 tend to say, "Thank you for your service." 424 01:02:36,248 --> 01:02:38,248 Well, that's all very fine. 425 01:02:38,283 --> 01:02:41,119 But then they don't listen after that. 426 01:02:41,754 --> 01:02:44,287 Well, I'll say, vive la France. 427 01:02:45,290 --> 01:02:47,455 Long live the USA. 428 01:02:47,963 --> 01:02:49,831 And... 429 01:02:51,428 --> 01:02:57,597 thank you, God, for being alive to relate the story. 430 01:03:04,474 --> 01:03:06,276 That's a short prayer, by the way. 431 01:03:06,311 --> 01:03:08,608 I make 'em all the time. 432 01:03:12,713 --> 01:03:14,779 I watched something magical happen 433 01:03:14,814 --> 01:03:18,519 when World War II veterans return to the forests, 434 01:03:18,554 --> 01:03:21,291 beaches, fields, and villages where they fought. 435 01:03:21,893 --> 01:03:23,590 As they share their stories, 436 01:03:23,625 --> 01:03:25,757 some for the very first time, 437 01:03:25,792 --> 01:03:29,629 they were listened to, embraced, and adored. 438 01:05:55,282 --> 01:05:57,051 Colonel David Chapman 439 01:05:57,086 --> 01:05:58,712 of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, 440 01:05:58,747 --> 01:06:00,054 works with French officials, 441 01:06:00,089 --> 01:06:02,716 to plan and carry out the D-Day ceremonies. 442 01:06:02,751 --> 01:06:05,554 He told me that he's met many veterans over the years 443 01:06:05,589 --> 01:06:08,392 and has seen this transformation first hand. 444 01:06:08,427 --> 01:06:10,889 A lot of the soldiers who come back 445 01:06:10,924 --> 01:06:12,066 don't know what to expect, 446 01:06:12,101 --> 01:06:13,925 and maybe they did a lot of damage, 447 01:06:13,960 --> 01:06:16,895 but all it takes is one day, particularly in Normandy, 448 01:06:16,930 --> 01:06:19,139 and to be surrounded by the love, 449 01:06:19,174 --> 01:06:23,077 and all the caring of the modern day, Normandy citizens, 450 01:06:23,112 --> 01:06:24,639 I think, to change all of that. 451 01:06:24,674 --> 01:06:26,311 Some veterans I met, 452 01:06:26,346 --> 01:06:28,577 like the 10th Armored Division's Bob Weber, 453 01:06:28,612 --> 01:06:31,415 1st Division Medic, Charles Shay 454 01:06:31,450 --> 01:06:33,747 and Easy Company Medic, Al Mampre, 455 01:06:33,782 --> 01:06:35,782 have been to France many times, 456 01:06:35,817 --> 01:06:37,751 and they understand the deep gratitude 457 01:06:37,786 --> 01:06:39,456 of those they helped to liberate. 458 01:06:40,294 --> 01:06:42,195 Having been back a few times, 459 01:06:42,230 --> 01:06:46,430 on these trips where the French invite veterans 460 01:06:46,465 --> 01:06:50,302 to return and enjoy their hospitality, 461 01:06:50,337 --> 01:06:53,866 they can't do enough nice things for Americans. 462 01:06:53,901 --> 01:06:55,505 They are eternally grateful. 463 01:06:55,540 --> 01:06:57,177 And even the younger generations, 464 01:06:57,212 --> 01:07:00,708 who have no firsthand memory of World War II, 465 01:07:00,743 --> 01:07:06,912 they've been taught to appreciate what America did for them. 466 01:07:06,947 --> 01:07:13,358 They were very proud to meet all of the Americans. 467 01:07:13,393 --> 01:07:16,196 But as I had said before, it was not only the Americans 468 01:07:16,231 --> 01:07:18,495 that participated in the invasion, 469 01:07:18,530 --> 01:07:20,530 there were very many other nations. 470 01:07:20,565 --> 01:07:24,138 But the first people were very receptive, 471 01:07:24,173 --> 01:07:30,177 even from the little children onto the oldest residents. 472 01:07:30,812 --> 01:07:34,148 Some of them were as old as the Gls 473 01:07:34,183 --> 01:07:37,008 that were returning to visit France. 474 01:07:37,043 --> 01:07:41,188 Well, I believe, in Normandy, you have a unique situation. 475 01:07:41,223 --> 01:07:46,226 In that, they really appreciate the Americans. 476 01:07:46,261 --> 01:07:49,493 They love Americans, a matter of fact. 477 01:07:49,528 --> 01:07:51,627 And we like them too. 478 01:07:51,662 --> 01:07:54,234 It's a mutual admiration society. 479 01:07:55,765 --> 01:07:57,765 I think they have a lot of faith in us. 480 01:07:57,800 --> 01:07:59,239 It hasn't diminished. 481 01:07:59,274 --> 01:08:00,999 I mean, this attitude towards us, 482 01:08:01,034 --> 01:08:05,377 and our having played the part we had in their salvation, 483 01:08:05,412 --> 01:08:08,545 in a way, that hasn't diminished one bit. 484 01:08:08,580 --> 01:08:10,712 It's got a different meaning, 485 01:08:10,747 --> 01:08:15,046 when you've been under occupation by an enemy for years, 486 01:08:15,081 --> 01:08:17,455 and then suddenly you're liberated. 487 01:08:18,024 --> 01:08:24,198 So, yep, liberation has a whole different meaning 488 01:08:24,233 --> 01:08:26,266 to those people. 489 01:08:26,301 --> 01:08:29,269 They all hug you, they all want autographs. 490 01:08:29,304 --> 01:08:33,207 And I always, not only autograph, 491 01:08:33,242 --> 01:08:35,176 hundreds and hundreds of them, 492 01:08:35,211 --> 01:08:38,212 and not only do I give them their autograph, 493 01:08:38,247 --> 01:08:39,939 but I talk to each single one of them, 494 01:08:39,974 --> 01:08:43,910 and I find out about their families and their sons and this... 495 01:08:45,045 --> 01:08:48,783 And they wait that long in line sometimes, 496 01:08:48,818 --> 01:08:52,050 to get autographs, and I think it's only right 497 01:08:52,085 --> 01:08:55,757 that we relate to them in a more personal way, you know? 498 01:08:55,792 --> 01:08:57,957 And it's really rewarding. 499 01:08:57,992 --> 01:08:59,860 We get to know each other, 500 01:08:59,895 --> 01:09:01,961 and that's the important part, I think, 501 01:09:01,996 --> 01:09:04,271 American and French knowing each other. 502 01:09:04,306 --> 01:09:06,636 They're a wonderful people. 503 01:09:10,609 --> 01:09:13,280 Other veterans I met, going for the first time 504 01:09:13,315 --> 01:09:15,073 were a little apprehensive, 505 01:09:15,108 --> 01:09:17,614 and felt like they didn't deserve the attention. 506 01:09:18,551 --> 01:09:22,047 I would have liked to come over, 507 01:09:22,082 --> 01:09:24,423 but I never dreamed that I would. 508 01:09:24,458 --> 01:09:28,757 I just can't imagine anybody having that kind of desire 509 01:09:28,792 --> 01:09:34,664 to be concerned with what little I know. 510 01:10:05,158 --> 01:10:07,367 3000, 4000. 511 01:10:07,402 --> 01:10:10,337 All right. Round Canopy, looks good! 512 01:10:36,255 --> 01:10:38,189 - Can you imagine all of this? 513 01:10:38,224 --> 01:10:39,806 - It's crazy, but it's all for you, sir. 514 01:10:39,830 --> 01:10:41,401 - Oh. - It's all for you. 515 01:10:41,436 --> 01:10:44,096 - When we saw the kids here in the school, 516 01:10:44,131 --> 01:10:47,341 and I just, hard to believe. 517 01:10:47,376 --> 01:10:51,169 You'd think that you were the King of Egypt 518 01:10:51,204 --> 01:10:52,610 or something. - They do. They do. 519 01:10:52,645 --> 01:10:54,139 - I know. 520 01:10:54,174 --> 01:10:55,723 - It's one thing, I think, that the French grandparents 521 01:10:55,747 --> 01:10:58,649 who were your generation, passed it on to their kids, 522 01:10:58,684 --> 01:11:00,530 who now passed it onto the next generation of kids. 523 01:11:00,554 --> 01:11:01,949 - I think they did. 524 01:11:01,984 --> 01:11:03,896 - And that's why you see them out here doing this. 525 01:11:03,920 --> 01:11:06,217 - Look at this. Thousands of people here. 526 01:11:06,252 --> 01:11:10,089 - Got some Americans here too, but it's mostly French. 527 01:11:10,724 --> 01:11:13,433 - But if we did the same thing in the States, 528 01:11:13,468 --> 01:11:15,864 you'd have a crowd right next to the drop zone 529 01:11:15,899 --> 01:11:17,415 and that's about it. - That's about right. 530 01:11:17,439 --> 01:11:18,933 - Yeah. - That's about right, 531 01:11:18,968 --> 01:11:20,583 but this is hallowed ground, certainly here, 532 01:11:20,607 --> 01:11:22,937 up at Iron Mike, where the big fight went on. 533 01:11:22,972 --> 01:11:24,202 - Yeah. - And everything 534 01:11:24,237 --> 01:11:25,753 that your generation did to make sure 535 01:11:25,777 --> 01:11:27,073 that I could land here safely. 536 01:11:27,108 --> 01:11:28,745 - Oh. 537 01:11:28,780 --> 01:11:30,978 - You know, we jumped with Germans on this jump. 538 01:11:31,013 --> 01:11:32,276 - Ah... no. - We did. 539 01:11:32,311 --> 01:11:34,091 We jumped Romanians, Germans, Dutch, French. 540 01:11:34,115 --> 01:11:35,818 - Isn't that amazing. 541 01:11:35,853 --> 01:11:38,128 - So it's hopefully a bigger better world today than it was. 542 01:11:38,152 --> 01:11:40,251 We did it for you. 543 01:11:40,286 --> 01:11:43,496 - Ah, I think we did it for you guys. 544 01:11:43,531 --> 01:11:44,794 You guys- 545 01:11:44,829 --> 01:11:47,225 - To keep me going, to keep my child going. 546 01:11:47,260 --> 01:11:48,732 - Ah. That's great. 547 01:11:48,767 --> 01:11:50,173 - So thanks for everything you mean to us. 548 01:11:50,197 --> 01:11:51,801 I appreciate it. 549 01:11:54,674 --> 01:11:56,773 I noticed that it didn't matter 550 01:11:56,808 --> 01:11:58,808 whether veterans thought they were special or not, 551 01:11:58,843 --> 01:12:02,141 they are heroes to the French in Normandy. 552 01:12:02,176 --> 01:12:04,044 It's a wonderful thing. 553 01:12:04,079 --> 01:12:08,983 It's just an exciting example of friendship. 554 01:12:09,920 --> 01:12:11,755 I watched the French 555 01:12:11,790 --> 01:12:14,285 go beyond thanking the veterans of the Allied nations 556 01:12:14,320 --> 01:12:17,497 and act as agents of healing and reconciliation, 557 01:12:17,532 --> 01:12:20,500 by inviting German veterans and their modern day units 558 01:12:20,535 --> 01:12:22,403 to join the commemorations. 559 01:12:22,438 --> 01:12:24,504 German and American veterans 560 01:12:24,539 --> 01:12:27,133 who once fought each other on French soil, 561 01:12:27,168 --> 01:12:30,004 now come together to celebrate liberty. 562 01:12:31,678 --> 01:12:34,173 At the same time, I saw modern-day soldiers 563 01:12:34,208 --> 01:12:39,486 from America, France, Germany and the other Allied Nations 564 01:12:39,521 --> 01:12:42,148 standing side-by-side to honor them. 565 01:12:44,460 --> 01:12:47,087 It felt like all of Normandy came together 566 01:12:47,122 --> 01:12:49,353 to show their love and appreciation 567 01:12:49,388 --> 01:12:51,355 to veterans and their families. 568 01:12:51,390 --> 01:12:53,863 Ceremonies I attended, like those held 569 01:12:53,898 --> 01:12:58,637 at the Normandy American Cemetery, Utah Beach, 570 01:12:58,672 --> 01:13:00,903 and Major Dick Winter's Memorial, 571 01:13:02,005 --> 01:13:04,335 remember and honor the men and women 572 01:13:04,370 --> 01:13:06,579 who fought and died for liberation. 573 01:13:07,879 --> 01:13:11,144 Others like those held at Angoville-au-Plain, 574 01:13:12,180 --> 01:13:15,720 the Cabbage Patch, and Ravenoville, 575 01:13:15,755 --> 01:13:19,658 mark significant battles that paved the way for freedom. 576 01:13:19,693 --> 01:13:21,924 I sat with government officials, 577 01:13:21,959 --> 01:13:24,663 soldiers, veterans, and civilians, 578 01:13:25,432 --> 01:13:29,294 and watched them share stories, renew bonds, 579 01:13:29,329 --> 01:13:31,604 and create new friendships. 580 01:13:32,200 --> 01:13:35,399 Music, dancing, 581 01:13:35,434 --> 01:13:37,368 and fireworks displays 582 01:13:37,403 --> 01:13:39,744 express the joy of freedom 583 01:13:39,779 --> 01:13:42,912 at events such as the Carentan Garden Party 584 01:13:43,651 --> 01:13:45,684 and the Liberty Ball. 585 01:13:45,719 --> 01:13:49,215 I enjoyed watching French citizens dressed as Gls 586 01:13:49,250 --> 01:13:52,757 or civilians from the 1940s, in parades, 587 01:13:52,792 --> 01:13:55,089 in Sainte Mère Église 588 01:13:55,124 --> 01:13:57,256 and Carentan. 589 01:13:59,260 --> 01:14:02,602 Parachute jumps at La Fière 590 01:14:02,637 --> 01:14:04,967 and Purple Heart Lane 591 01:14:06,707 --> 01:14:09,367 and re-enactments like the Exodus 592 01:14:09,402 --> 01:14:11,875 and La Barquet 593 01:14:12,310 --> 01:14:13,745 that gave everyone a chance 594 01:14:13,780 --> 01:14:16,242 to experience history more vividly. 595 01:14:17,619 --> 01:14:20,444 The efforts the French make to honor their liberators 596 01:14:20,479 --> 01:14:21,786 and remember the past, 597 01:14:21,821 --> 01:14:24,118 have not been lost on the modern-day soldiers 598 01:14:24,153 --> 01:14:26,989 and other Americans who take part in these events. 599 01:14:27,791 --> 01:14:30,531 My son Hunter told me one of the most memorable events 600 01:14:30,566 --> 01:14:33,061 for the modern-day soldiers is the soldier dinner. 601 01:14:33,096 --> 01:14:35,030 What happened was, 602 01:14:35,065 --> 01:14:37,065 is that we were informed that we would essentially 603 01:14:37,100 --> 01:14:39,463 be lotteried off to French families. 604 01:14:39,498 --> 01:14:42,268 So, we arrived in town, 605 01:14:42,303 --> 01:14:43,940 we participated in the lottery, 606 01:14:43,975 --> 01:14:46,107 and a French family that drew your name 607 01:14:46,142 --> 01:14:47,911 would host you for the evening. 608 01:14:47,946 --> 01:14:49,308 They'll take you to dinner 609 01:14:49,343 --> 01:14:50,980 or cook you dinner in their homes, 610 01:14:51,015 --> 01:14:54,445 and you get to establish relational ties with these families, 611 01:14:54,480 --> 01:14:56,986 and learn more about them and their history. 612 01:14:57,021 --> 01:15:00,726 There was a language barrier, but it was fun trying to learn 613 01:15:00,761 --> 01:15:02,420 how to communicate with this family. 614 01:15:02,455 --> 01:15:06,292 So, I was lucky to have been chosen by the LaColley family. 615 01:15:07,097 --> 01:15:09,603 They were very excited 616 01:15:09,638 --> 01:15:12,331 to show me French food or French alcohol. 617 01:15:12,366 --> 01:15:15,840 Everything they did was very energized. 618 01:15:15,875 --> 01:15:17,974 This dinner was very impactful on me. 619 01:15:18,009 --> 01:15:21,714 I had never heard first-hand accounts from World War II, 620 01:15:21,749 --> 01:15:25,278 much less from civilians during World War II. 621 01:15:25,313 --> 01:15:30,349 I remember how important this dinner was. 622 01:15:30,384 --> 01:15:34,320 How important it was for these French families to host us. 623 01:15:34,355 --> 01:15:38,599 I remember a sense of warmth and openness. 624 01:15:38,634 --> 01:15:43,329 And I could feel how important it was to them. 625 01:15:43,364 --> 01:15:45,166 The D-day commemorations here in Normandy 626 01:15:45,201 --> 01:15:48,708 are absolutely invaluable to keeping the memory alive 627 01:15:48,743 --> 01:15:50,776 between Normandy and the United States, 628 01:15:50,811 --> 01:15:53,108 and especially for the American people to understand 629 01:15:53,143 --> 01:15:56,474 what the French people do for us 630 01:15:56,509 --> 01:15:58,784 and do for service members while we're here in France, 631 01:15:58,819 --> 01:16:02,051 and especially the veterans who come back each year, 632 01:16:02,086 --> 01:16:04,724 and finally get a chance to come back to the area 633 01:16:04,759 --> 01:16:06,726 that they liberated 75 years ago. 634 01:16:06,761 --> 01:16:09,696 After spending time in Normandy, 635 01:16:09,731 --> 01:16:13,359 after seeing the reactions of the free French, 636 01:16:13,394 --> 01:16:15,735 after seeing how important liberty was to them, 637 01:16:15,770 --> 01:16:19,266 after seeing how grateful they were to America, 638 01:16:19,301 --> 01:16:21,466 it gave me a deeper perspective 639 01:16:21,501 --> 01:16:26,713 about the lasting impacts of American intervention overseas, 640 01:16:26,748 --> 01:16:31,014 about America liberating other countries. 641 01:16:31,049 --> 01:16:35,953 The French honor the veterans here 642 01:16:35,988 --> 01:16:39,858 and honor the American troopers who fought and died here, 643 01:16:39,893 --> 01:16:42,289 and I feel like if the French are gonna do that, 644 01:16:42,324 --> 01:16:45,589 it's really important for me to be here 645 01:16:45,624 --> 01:16:47,426 and thank them for that. 646 01:16:47,461 --> 01:16:50,165 It's, you know, it's too easy to forget this, 647 01:16:50,200 --> 01:16:52,365 especially the further we get from it. 648 01:16:52,400 --> 01:16:56,072 I don't think you understand the full impact 649 01:16:56,107 --> 01:16:57,711 of what happened here, 650 01:16:57,746 --> 01:17:02,408 unless you're on the ground at the sites, 651 01:17:02,443 --> 01:17:06,115 and you not only see the place where things took place, 652 01:17:06,150 --> 01:17:11,758 but you see how deeply the French still remember 653 01:17:11,793 --> 01:17:14,321 and feel about their liberation. 654 01:17:14,823 --> 01:17:17,060 There are the French people, 655 01:17:17,095 --> 01:17:18,897 and there are the Normans. 656 01:17:19,966 --> 01:17:25,002 The Normans: they love, they have cared. 657 01:17:25,037 --> 01:17:29,468 And that onslaught of American spirit 658 01:17:29,503 --> 01:17:32,240 infused them from the start. 659 01:17:32,275 --> 01:17:36,079 And no matter what conflicts we have, 660 01:17:36,114 --> 01:17:39,313 what political differences there are, 661 01:17:39,348 --> 01:17:42,789 this is a thing that you can't describe in words, 662 01:17:42,824 --> 01:17:49,389 but it's here and it wraps us together as one. 663 01:17:49,958 --> 01:17:51,963 I discovered that when veterans 664 01:17:51,998 --> 01:17:54,801 returned to Normandy to visit the land they once liberated, 665 01:17:54,836 --> 01:17:56,660 they formed strong bonds 666 01:17:56,695 --> 01:17:58,904 with the grateful French people they met. 667 01:17:58,939 --> 01:18:01,434 These relationships were so meaningful, 668 01:18:01,469 --> 01:18:04,008 many veterans wish to have their ashes scattered 669 01:18:04,043 --> 01:18:06,175 on the beaches where they landed. 670 01:18:06,644 --> 01:18:09,178 Jim Reid at the 90th Infantry Division, 671 01:18:09,213 --> 01:18:12,016 who landed on Utah Beach, was one of these. 672 01:18:12,952 --> 01:18:16,856 His final request to have his ashes scattered on Utah Beach 673 01:18:16,891 --> 01:18:19,650 made sure the most important loves of his life, 674 01:18:19,685 --> 01:18:23,621 his wife, Rhoda, the de Mondésir family, and Normandy 675 01:18:23,656 --> 01:18:26,734 would be together again after he was gone. 676 01:18:27,528 --> 01:18:28,868 They call him Jimmy. 677 01:18:28,903 --> 01:18:30,595 So for them, I call him Jimmy. 678 01:18:30,630 --> 01:18:36,337 When he passed away, it may have been harder on them 679 01:18:37,109 --> 01:18:38,339 than it was on me, 680 01:18:38,374 --> 01:18:41,441 because they had not seen him since 2004. 681 01:18:41,476 --> 01:18:43,718 And he loved them so much. 682 01:18:44,677 --> 01:18:46,820 And he made me promise two things: 683 01:18:46,855 --> 01:18:48,228 And he made me promise two things: 684 01:18:48,252 --> 01:18:51,550 that I would put some of his ashes on Utah Beach, 685 01:18:51,585 --> 01:18:56,192 but that I would go back to France and see the de Mondésirs. 686 01:18:56,227 --> 01:18:59,932 And it's a forever bond. 687 01:18:59,967 --> 01:19:01,362 And he loved to come here, 688 01:19:01,397 --> 01:19:04,871 to be able to talk to the French citizens. 689 01:19:05,440 --> 01:19:09,469 So for him, to come here, was like, in a way, coming home for him. 690 01:21:08,260 --> 01:21:09,853 What happens in the future 691 01:21:09,888 --> 01:21:12,130 is in the hands of the next generation. 692 01:21:13,265 --> 01:21:14,935 French survivors have prepared 693 01:21:14,970 --> 01:21:16,937 their children and grandchildren 694 01:21:16,972 --> 01:21:21,007 to continue to remember, be grateful, 695 01:21:22,010 --> 01:21:27,013 to stand up for freedom and welcome those who fight for it. 696 01:21:28,082 --> 01:21:29,609 You mentioned the children. 697 01:21:29,644 --> 01:21:33,382 They are especially important, because these kids, 698 01:21:33,417 --> 01:21:35,615 they don't have any idea of what happened. 699 01:21:35,650 --> 01:21:37,089 And the only way they learn 700 01:21:37,124 --> 01:21:38,497 is from their parents and their grandparents, 701 01:21:38,521 --> 01:21:40,191 who bring them to Sainte Mère Église, 702 01:21:40,226 --> 01:21:42,930 or to all the different locations and commemorative events, 703 01:21:42,965 --> 01:21:44,998 and they teach them on the spot: 704 01:21:45,033 --> 01:21:46,395 "This is what happened." 705 01:21:46,430 --> 01:21:49,794 So, we are growing generations of really wonderful 706 01:21:49,829 --> 01:21:52,764 and thankful French citizens for the near future. 707 01:21:52,799 --> 01:21:54,403 But those same children will grow up, 708 01:21:54,438 --> 01:21:56,141 probably 25, 30 years from now 709 01:21:56,176 --> 01:21:57,780 and have children that they'll continue 710 01:21:57,804 --> 01:22:00,013 to bring to the squares and the cemeteries 711 01:22:00,048 --> 01:22:01,949 and tell the stories over and over again. 712 01:22:50,725 --> 01:22:52,923 Dany was an innocent spirit, 713 01:22:52,958 --> 01:22:55,101 wrapped in the symbol of freedom. 714 01:22:55,837 --> 01:22:59,204 She represented rising hope for the future 715 01:22:59,239 --> 01:23:01,140 of an Allied peace. 716 01:23:01,175 --> 01:23:04,836 The colors of red, white, and blue 717 01:23:04,871 --> 01:23:08,279 fueled the dreams of a little girl finding hope 718 01:23:08,314 --> 01:23:11,216 in the eyes of battle-torn Americans, 719 01:23:11,251 --> 01:23:14,780 who found their hope in the eyes of the girl 720 01:23:14,815 --> 01:23:16,287 who proudly wore the symbol 721 01:23:16,322 --> 01:23:18,586 of the freedom they were fighting for. 722 01:23:19,721 --> 01:23:23,393 Those Americans changed her life forever, 723 01:23:23,428 --> 01:23:26,396 and she will never forget them. 724 01:24:15,876 --> 01:24:18,118 I learned from the people of Normandy 725 01:24:18,153 --> 01:24:21,385 that gathering in groups of family and friends, 726 01:24:21,420 --> 01:24:23,321 to celebrate and remember, 727 01:24:23,356 --> 01:24:25,554 is central to passing on the core truths 728 01:24:25,589 --> 01:24:28,227 and values of these stories, 729 01:24:30,055 --> 01:24:32,022 enshrining these lessons of the past 730 01:24:32,057 --> 01:24:34,024 in our collective memory, 731 01:24:35,566 --> 01:24:37,401 the pain of war, 732 01:24:38,437 --> 01:24:40,107 the price of freedom, 733 01:24:41,605 --> 01:24:44,738 and the preciousness of life's simple pleasures. 734 01:24:47,413 --> 01:24:49,512 It helps us to never forget, 735 01:24:51,252 --> 01:24:53,483 and reminds us of the importance 736 01:24:53,518 --> 01:24:57,421 of love, gratitude, 737 01:24:57,456 --> 01:24:59,885 and freedom. 738 01:25:00,789 --> 01:25:03,196 Values that will have ripple effects 739 01:25:03,231 --> 01:25:05,264 for generations to come.