Today marks the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history.

With every passing year we sadly have fewer and fewer of these veterans to honor, but this year there are many different ceremonies with throngs of people paying their respects to the ones we lost and those who remain.

Large crowds showed up on the beaches of Normandy this morning to honor the more than 4,000 men who lost their lives 80 years ago today. French President Emmanuel Macron honored 11 Americans with the French Légion d’honneur, the highest French Honor of Merit, for their service that day.

One of those eleven was Edward Berthold, a man who flew 35 missions in World War II, including taking part of the D-Day invasion.

The lone English citizen to receive the award was 103 year-old Christian Lamb, daughter of a British Royal Navy Admiral, who drew detailed maps of the beaches, helping the troops as they stormed under heavy fire.

Watching these brave men and woman get their moment in the sun, even at such an advanced age, is a sight to be seen on this special anniversary.

Numerous Hollywood films and shows have highlighted D-Day and one veteran met with some of the cast members from HBO’s Band of Brothers, a 2001 mini-series that highlighted the 101st Airborne division of World War II.

As we continue to lose members of the “Greatest Generation” it’s important to hear the words from the ones who are still with us.

God bless the men who fought that day and may we remember the ones that gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Wood is host of the ‘Taste of Country Mornings with Wood and Nicole‘ that can be heard every morning from 6-10am CST on the ‘Taste of Country’ app, on local affiliates where available and online at tasteofcountry.com.

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