D-Day anniversary haunted by dwindling number of veterans and shadowed by Europe's new war – The Virginian-Pilot

As young soldiers they waded ashore in Normandy through gunfire to fight the Nazis. A dwindling number of World War II veterans were joined by a new generation of leaders on Thursday to honor the dead, the living and the fight for democracy in moving commemorations on and around those same beaches where they landed exactly 80 years ago on D-Day. The war in Ukraine shadowed the ceremonies. Russia's full-scale invasion is a grim modern-day example of lives and cities that are again suffering through war. French President Emmanuel Macron awarded the Legion of Honor to 14 U.S. veterans and a British female veteran. Among the Americans was Edward Berthold who flew 35 combat missions in all as a pilot during World War II including one on D-Day.

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