President Joe Biden used the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, the Allied Invasion of Normandy to liberate Western Europe from Nazi and Fascist totalitarianism to salute the many brave (including several that attended the ceremony today) and fallen soldiers that, through their heroism on the battlefield, helped usher in a new age of Democracy, social justice, and international economic openness and cooperation for most of the industrialized world.
The President also took the opportunity of this anniversary address to warn that the cause of the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy on this day 80 years ago to defeat totalitarianism and protect Democracy-is still essential today as voices of authoritarianism and isolationism fester in the bowels of the extreme right-wing in the United States (MAGA Trumpism) and around the world.
Among his comments in Normandy, Mr. Biden stated:
“…Freedom is worth it. Democracy is worth it. America is worth it. The world is worth it — then, now, and always…“
“…America’s unique ability to bring countries together is an undeniable source of our strength and our power. Isolationism was not the answer 80 years ago, and it is not the answer today.”
“We know the dark forces that these heroes fought against 80 years ago. They never fade. Aggression and greed, the desire to dominate and control, to change borders by force — these are perennial. And the struggle between a dictatorship and freedom is unending.”
“Here, in Europe, we see one stark example. Ukraine has been invaded by a tyrant bent on domination. Ukrainians are fighting with extraordinary courage, suffering great losses, but never backing down…”
“The United States and NATO and a coalition of more than 50 countries standing strong with Ukraine. We will not walk away- because if we do, Ukraine will be subjugated.”
“And it will not end there. Ukraine’s neighbors will be threatened. All of Europe will be threatened.”
“And make no mistake, the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine, to see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked. We cannot let that happen.”
“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable. Were we to do that, it means we’d be forgetting what happened here on these hallowed beaches.”
“Make no mistake: We will not bow down. We will not forget.”
“Let me end with this. History tells us freedom is not free. If you want to know the price of freedom, come here to Normandy. Come to Normandy and look. Go to the other cemeteries in Europe where our fallen heroes rest. Go back home to Arlington Cemetery…”
“…We’re living in a time when Democracy is more at risk across the world than at any point since the end of World War Two — since these beaches were stormed in 1944. Now, we have to ask ourselves: Will we stand against tyranny, against evil, against the crushing brutality of the iron fist? Will we stand for freedom? Will we defend democracy? Will we stand together?”
“My answer is yes. And it only can be yes.”
“We’re not far off from the time when the last living voices of those who fought and bled on D-Day will no longer be with us. So, we have a special obligation. We cannot let what happened here be lost in the silence of the years to come. We must remember it, must honor it, and live it. And we must remember: The fact that they were heroes here that day does not absolve us from what we have to do today.”
“Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it, and fight for it. That’s the test of the ages.”
“In memory of those who fought here, died here, literally saved the world here, let us be worthy of their sacrifice. Let us be the generation that when history is written about our time — in 10, 20, 30, 50, 80 years from now — it will be said: When the moment came, we met the moment. We stood strong. Our alliances were made stronger. And we saved democracy in our time as well.”
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