close
close
powertid

Photos: The last veterans celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-Day

Vaseline

UTAH BEACH, France — These are no ordinary beaches. There are few sun worshipers. There are no volleyball matches or barbecues.

Eighty years after a massive invasion force landed here, beginning the liberation of German-occupied France, an unmistakable solemnity lingers on the sand.

More than 4,000 Allied troops were killed on D-Day. But even amid the enormous loss of life, some survived. And on this 80th anniversary, some of those still alive came here to commemorate.

Steve Melnikoff, a 104-year-old from Cockeysville, Maryland, is one of those last veterans.

“I’m a D-Day man,” he proudly proclaimed, wearing a blue-and-gray tie, an ode to the yin-yang insignia of the 29th Infantry Division with which he fought.

GET SAVED

Summarized stories to quickly stay informed

Melnikoff was a 24-year-old soldier on a ship in the English Channel on D-Day and came ashore the next day. He would earn four Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts during the war. However, he emphasized that it was the soldiers buried in the American cemetery who deserved tribute. “It was those men. Especially the ones in that cemetery, up there on that hill. It was those men who gave their lives so that we could come back,” he said. “Those are the people who are the real heroes.”

Most American troops landed on the beaches codenamed Omaha and Utah. Between these sandy plains lie miles of steep, rocky cliffs. The overgrown ruins of bunkers, bunkers and machine gun nests still provide impressive views.

Inland from Utah Beach is the village of St. Marie du Mont, where an ornate stone Catholic church takes pride of place in the main square, as in so many other Normandy villages.

Tourists, locals and visiting active-duty U.S. military personnel shared picnic tables on the church lawn this week. Every now and then a handful of World War II veterans would arrive. Swarms of admirers crowded from all sides, looking for photos and autographs.

French veteran Jean Turco fought against the German blitzkrieg in 1940 before France finally fell to the Nazis at the end of the six-week battle. This week, at the age of 106, he sat in a wheelchair and wrapped in a blanket for warmth as he received a long line of fellow countrymen eager to pay their respects.

With an average of 200 World War II veterans dying every day, this will likely be the last major D-Day anniversary to include a significant group of veterans, according to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates. If a veteran was 18 years old on D-Day, he would be 104 by the time the 85th anniversary arrives in 2029.

Photographer Luke Sharrett attended the commemorations.

Related Posts