Kate Laurensen is a veteran reporter. She started out covering entertainment news for the local city paper before moving up to the City desk. She studied journalism at San Francisco City College for the Arts.
June 6 , 2024
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France - President Joe Biden marked the anniversary of D-Day on Thursday by recounting his own memories of storming the beaches of Normandy during World War II and paying tribute to the heroes who sacrificed everything to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation.
Speaking at the American cemetery in this small town overlooking Omaha Beach, Biden described in vivid detail the harrowing scenes he witnessed on June 6, 1944 as a young U.S. Army captain leading his troops onto the blood-soaked shores of northern France.
"The deafening roar of artillery shook the very earth beneath our feet," Biden recalled, his voice wavering with emotion. "The air was thick with smoke and the unmistakable stench of death. But we pressed on, climbing over the fallen bodies of our brothers, driven by an unshakeable resolve to end the Nazi scourge once and for all."
Biden spoke of diving into the frigid waters, bullets whizzing past as he pulled himself onto the beach under withering German fire.
"I shall never forget the cries of the wounded and dying men all around me," he said solemnly. "Their sacrifices will forever be etched into the very fabric of my soul."
The president's firsthand account, which has not been widely shared before, cast new light on the extent of Biden's heroics that day. It provided rare public insight into the president's military service, about which he has remained humble and reticent over the decades.
After his remarks, Biden walked through the meticulously maintained cemetery's neat rows of white marble crosses and Stars of David, taking a moment to run his hand along the names chiseled into the stone. He stopped to lay a wreath at the memorial and stood with head bowed in silent reflection.
The D-Day anniversary commemoration was the culmination of Biden's three-day trip to Europe to reaffirm America's stalwart commitment to the NATO alliance amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The president drew parallels between the battle for democracy against Nazi Germany and the existential struggle facing the world today.
"Once again, our freedom and the very future of liberal democracy are under siege," Biden declared. "Just as the Allies answered that call years ago, so too must we unite and defend the flame of liberty from the modern-day forces of oppression seeking to snuff it out."
As Biden concluded his speech, a lone bugler played "Taps," the melancholy notes echoing across the peaceful cemetery grounds.
"To the brave souls who stormed these hallowed beaches, I say simply this: Thank you, thank you from the very depths of a grateful nation and world," Biden said. "Your service, your sacrifice will be venerated for all eternity."
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