Reporter’s Notebook: Remembering courage on the 81st anniversary of D-Day

I’ve covered galore anniversaries of D-Day, and they ne'er suffer their powerfulness to move.

We were astatine the 81st day astatine the stunning American cemetery successful Normandy adjacent Omaha Beach connected Friday. American and different allied forces landed connected that and different beaches, arsenic good arsenic parachuting from the skies, to spell connected to decision Nazi Germany successful World War II.

WORLD WAR II VETERANS TRAVEL TO NORMANDY FOR EMOTIONAL D-DAY COMMEMORATION

Fox News' Greg Palkot visits an American cemetery successful Normandy, France connected June 6, 2025. (Greg Palkot)

Some 75,000 U.S. troops were involved. 2,500 were killed. 5,000 injured. Just connected that time itself.

One of those who made it crossed Omaha Beach is the still-very spry 102-year-old Minnesota-born Jake Larson. He declared to america jubilantly, "Not lone did I marque it done six battles … I made it without a scratch!  Somebody ‘upstairs’ loves me."

Monument unveiled June 6, 2025, honoring U.S. pilots who mislaid their lives successful the D-Day penetration and crossed Europe successful WWII  (Courtesy The Greatest Generations Foundation) (The Greatest Generations Foundation)

WORLD WAR II VETERANS TRAVEL TO NORMANDY FOR EMOTIONAL D-DAY COMMEMORATION

Fox News' Greg Palkot with 102-year-old D-Day seasoned Jake Larson connected June 6, 2025. (Greg Palkot)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke astatine the ceremonial marking the time and met with the dwindling fig of World War II veterans.

He told america that alliances were important connected D-Day and inactive could beryllium important successful these troubled times.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REVEALS WHY MILITARY RECRUITMENT HAS SOARED UNDER TRUMP

Military planes alert implicit an American cemetery successful Normandy, France, successful remembrance of D-Day connected June 6, 2025. (Greg Palkot)

" America first’ hasn’t meant and doesn’t mean 'America alone,’" helium added. "Working with our allies and partners, there’s a batch we tin execute present with gathering threats successful the world."

Still, immoderate of those who saw action successful Normandy and astir the globe successful World War II are not definite the connection has gotten through.

WWII veterans astatine a D-Day solemnisation ceremonial connected June 6, 2025. (Greg Palkot)

Two centenarian combat veterans and autochthonal New Yorkers, brought to France by the Greatest Generations Foundation, person their ain thoughts.

Flushing-born Ray Sweeney asked rhetorically, "What did we learn? I don’t deliberation we learned much. We gave up a batch of bodies. We had a batch of bodies."

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Fox News' Greg Palkot with 103-year-old WWII seasoned Ray Sweeney connected June 6, 2025. (Greg Palkot)

And Brooklyn-born Harold Radish noted, "War is heroic successful the movies. But successful existent life, it’s killing. It’s not getting on with somebody."

Still, the crowds who came Friday to the now-peaceful French beaches were dependable and large. A beardown motion that sacrifices person been remembered. And possibly immoderate lessons learned.

A seasoned stands connected the shores astatine Omaha Beach successful Normandy, France, connected June 6, 2025. (Greg Palkot)