WEBVTT 00:15.250 --> 00:18.850 Charles de de 00:21.620 --> 00:22.399 de de la , 00:25.940 --> 00:28.819 the mayor General Lawrence Ferguson 00:30.229 --> 00:33.330 de Monsieur Herve Marie President 00:34.069 --> 00:37.729 de Depart de La Manche . The Monsieur 00:37.779 --> 00:41.590 Pascal Marie le President 00:41.619 --> 00:45.229 Regional de no , the Monsieur Jacob , 00:45.750 --> 00:46.319 just out 00:53.860 --> 00:56.250 this ceremony will be chaired by Mr 00:56.259 --> 00:59.229 Charles de Valer . Mayor of ST Marie 00:59.240 --> 01:01.599 Dumont . In the presence of Monsieur 01:01.610 --> 01:04.680 Francois Xavier Mali , president of the 01:04.690 --> 01:06.357 Association of Friends of the 01:06.357 --> 01:08.959 Resistance Foundation , Major General 01:09.930 --> 01:13.160 Ferguson , commanding General of the 01:13.169 --> 01:15.410 first Special Forces Airborne Command . 01:17.269 --> 01:19.213 Pascal Marie representing Monsieur 01:19.300 --> 01:21.522 Herve Morin , president of the Normandy 01:21.522 --> 01:23.633 Regional Council , Monsieur Jacob Kir 01:24.250 --> 01:26.250 representing Mister Christian Eugen 01:26.250 --> 01:28.028 Olsen , president of the Danish 01:28.028 --> 01:29.250 Veterans Foundation . 01:33.389 --> 01:35.500 While the allies are preparing to set 01:35.500 --> 01:37.722 foot on the European continent to begin 01:37.722 --> 01:39.833 its liberation from the Nazi regime . 01:39.879 --> 01:41.870 The resistance provided their 01:41.879 --> 01:44.750 assistance prior to enable operation 01:44.760 --> 01:47.800 overlord's success ahead of the D day 01:47.809 --> 01:49.860 operations . The resistance great 01:49.870 --> 01:51.981 amounts of reconnaissance information 01:51.981 --> 01:54.230 to the allies . They also carried out 01:54.239 --> 01:56.290 sabotage missions planned with the 01:56.300 --> 01:58.739 allies which completely disrupted enemy 01:58.750 --> 02:01.489 communications . Ultimately , their 02:01.500 --> 02:04.069 assistance became even more during the 02:04.470 --> 02:06.692 summer months of the battle of Normandy 02:06.692 --> 02:08.803 as it helped to accelerate the German 02:08.803 --> 02:10.859 retreat and the allied victory after 02:10.859 --> 02:12.914 the landings in Provence . On August 02:12.949 --> 02:16.809 1519 44 located a stone's throw 02:16.820 --> 02:18.910 from Utah Beach . This monument 02:18.919 --> 02:20.869 recounts the history that future 02:20.880 --> 02:23.399 generations will learn of the role the 02:23.410 --> 02:25.299 resistance fighters played in the 02:25.299 --> 02:28.100 preparations of the D day landings and 02:28.110 --> 02:30.589 their eminent role alongside the allies 02:30.600 --> 02:33.389 in the liberation of France offered by 02:33.399 --> 02:35.288 the Americans as a tribute to the 02:35.288 --> 02:37.066 resistance . This monument is a 02:37.066 --> 02:39.232 beautiful symbol of the recognition of 02:39.232 --> 02:41.343 the role the French resistance played 02:41.343 --> 02:43.510 and represents the bond between France 02:43.510 --> 02:45.830 and the United States . Two nations 02:45.839 --> 02:48.279 linked by their common history in their 02:48.289 --> 02:50.860 fight for liberty . This monument also 02:50.869 --> 02:53.089 recounts the importance of the 94 Jets 02:53.710 --> 02:56.139 played in the success of the landings . 02:56.710 --> 02:59.259 These teams were made up of officers 02:59.270 --> 03:01.048 from the British Special Forces 03:01.048 --> 03:02.992 Executive , the American Office of 03:02.992 --> 03:04.881 Strategic Service and the Central 03:04.881 --> 03:07.048 Bureau of Intelligence and De Gaulle's 03:07.048 --> 03:09.690 Free French parachuted into France and 03:09.699 --> 03:11.866 the Netherlands . Their mission was to 03:11.866 --> 03:13.866 equip the maquis and coordinate the 03:13.866 --> 03:15.755 action of the resistance with the 03:15.755 --> 03:17.755 general plans of the allied general 03:17.755 --> 03:19.810 staff . The success of their mission 03:19.850 --> 03:21.961 made it possible to immobilize German 03:21.961 --> 03:23.800 forces at the time of the D day 03:23.809 --> 03:26.729 landings . These jet begs consider are 03:26.740 --> 03:28.851 considered the forefathers of today's 03:28.851 --> 03:30.759 United States Special Forces . 03:36.169 --> 03:36.809 The first 03:47.669 --> 03:51.630 oh number is 03:51.770 --> 03:52.770 h 04:00.320 --> 04:02.940 in his text night and fog . Jean Ferra 04:03.160 --> 04:06.190 sang . There were 2100 , there were 04:06.199 --> 04:09.179 thousands naked and thin trembling in 04:09.190 --> 04:11.750 the laden wagons who tore the night 04:11.880 --> 04:13.809 with beating nails . There were 04:13.820 --> 04:17.570 thousands of them . There were 2100 on 04:17.579 --> 04:20.510 June 4th , 1944 . A prison transport 04:20.519 --> 04:24.459 left the internment camp for 04:24.470 --> 04:26.839 the Nunam concentration camp near 04:26.850 --> 04:30.600 Hamburg . It arrived on June 7th , only 04:30.609 --> 04:32.665 one day after the D day landings and 04:32.665 --> 04:34.470 after four days of excruciating 04:34.480 --> 04:36.859 suffering , those who survived were 04:36.869 --> 04:40.769 released in April of 1945 . Often to 04:40.779 --> 04:43.269 Bergen Belsen a true death camp where 04:43.279 --> 04:46.890 many deportees died of typhus . They 04:46.899 --> 04:49.410 were for the enemy terrorists who were 04:49.420 --> 04:51.489 not protected by the laws of war . 04:51.899 --> 04:54.029 Those that had not been shot up upon 04:54.040 --> 04:56.040 their arrest were tortured and then 04:56.040 --> 04:58.739 sent to a concentration camp . This is 04:58.750 --> 05:00.809 how Andre Marro Companion of the 05:00.820 --> 05:03.059 Liberation recalled it when Jean 05:03.079 --> 05:04.912 Moulin's ashes were taken to the 05:04.912 --> 05:07.500 pantheon . The painful reality reserved 05:07.510 --> 05:09.454 for the resistance fighters of the 05:09.454 --> 05:11.677 shadow army after being arrested by the 05:11.677 --> 05:14.859 German Nazi occupiers enter here , Jean 05:14.940 --> 05:16.996 Moulin with your terrible procession 05:17.140 --> 05:19.130 with those who died in the caves 05:19.140 --> 05:22.299 without having spoken like you . And 05:22.309 --> 05:24.429 even what is perhaps more atrocious 05:24.600 --> 05:26.739 haven't spoken about it with all the 05:26.750 --> 05:28.306 striped and shorn people in 05:28.306 --> 05:30.880 concentration camps . They were already 05:30.890 --> 05:33.057 no longer men . They had become shells 05:33.057 --> 05:35.290 of themselves which clearly reflected 05:35.299 --> 05:37.119 the process of dehumanization 05:37.220 --> 05:39.276 undertaken by the Nazi concentration 05:39.276 --> 05:42.260 camps . Since 1940 these resistance 05:42.269 --> 05:44.510 fighters had set up escape routes and 05:44.519 --> 05:46.750 crossings along the demarcation line 05:46.760 --> 05:49.380 and towards Spain first for French and 05:49.390 --> 05:52.059 allied soldiers trapped on our soil by 05:52.070 --> 05:54.510 the German offensive from May to June 05:54.519 --> 05:57.209 of 1940 . Then for the English , then 05:57.220 --> 05:59.700 for the American aviators , they had 05:59.709 --> 06:01.820 created counterfeit documents to help 06:01.820 --> 06:03.653 persecuted people such as Jewish 06:03.653 --> 06:06.000 families , resistance fighters and 06:06.010 --> 06:08.288 those placed into the Nazi labor camps . 06:09.450 --> 06:11.730 Many gave information on the movements 06:11.739 --> 06:13.683 of enemy troops and their military 06:13.683 --> 06:15.850 installations . Thus allowing for more 06:15.850 --> 06:17.850 targeted allied bombings which also 06:17.850 --> 06:20.017 caused their share of French victims . 06:20.529 --> 06:22.696 They had located in prepared airfields 06:22.696 --> 06:24.790 where a Westland leander landed at 06:24.799 --> 06:26.920 night with its stowaways which 06:26.929 --> 06:29.040 immediately left again with those who 06:29.040 --> 06:31.040 were part of clandestine services , 06:31.290 --> 06:33.320 those very lands , these very lands 06:33.329 --> 06:35.959 that we stand on also serve , served as 06:35.970 --> 06:38.529 parachute drop zones for weapons . Long 06:38.540 --> 06:41.019 waited by the Normandy resistance . De 06:41.070 --> 06:43.292 Gaulle's French resistance had derailed 06:43.292 --> 06:45.950 trains and derailed delayed railway 06:45.959 --> 06:48.450 convoys . We must remember the 06:48.459 --> 06:50.348 important role of the many French 06:50.348 --> 06:52.540 saboteurs trained in England that also 06:52.549 --> 06:55.329 parachuted into France who managed to 06:55.339 --> 06:57.172 destroy industrial installations 06:57.172 --> 06:59.769 essential to the German war effort such 06:59.779 --> 07:02.339 as Armada one and Amata two with Henri 07:02.739 --> 07:06.010 Jro and Bessy . Their missions avoided 07:06.019 --> 07:07.970 costly bombings of French civilian 07:07.980 --> 07:10.679 casualties at the time of the landing 07:10.690 --> 07:13.429 on June 9th . The ftp of core faced the 07:13.619 --> 07:16.670 EIF Panzer Division composed of 18,000 07:16.679 --> 07:18.739 men . During these battles . The 07:18.750 --> 07:21.279 division will remain busy fra from the 07:21.290 --> 07:23.179 battlefield far from the Normandy 07:23.179 --> 07:26.019 landings in Tua , there were 99 07:26.029 --> 07:29.950 resistance members hanged and 149 were 07:29.959 --> 07:32.779 deported to Daka with only 48 returning 07:33.220 --> 07:35.440 in limousin , particularly in Grana , 07:37.130 --> 07:40.160 643 inhabitants were massacred by the 07:40.170 --> 07:43.200 Ss Dale Division . Many of whom were 07:43.209 --> 07:45.230 burned alive in the village church 07:47.429 --> 07:50.839 on June 9 , 1944 . Towards the east , 07:50.850 --> 07:53.459 the maquis rose up and he mobilized the 07:53.470 --> 07:57.059 wet until July 23rd . This will be the 07:57.070 --> 07:58.903 deadliest fight fought in France 07:58.903 --> 08:01.014 between the weak and the resistance . 08:01.149 --> 08:03.059 200 resistance fighters fell with 08:03.070 --> 08:05.869 weapons in hand . 150 also lost their 08:05.880 --> 08:07.880 lives during the days following the 08:07.880 --> 08:09.991 capture of the plateau by the Germans 08:09.991 --> 08:12.220 executed after their capture on the 08:12.230 --> 08:15.429 German side , 65 killed 18 missing and 08:15.440 --> 08:19.130 133 wounded . Finally after the landing 08:19.140 --> 08:22.440 of Provence on August 15th , 1944 these 08:22.450 --> 08:24.506 same resistance fighters enlisted in 08:24.506 --> 08:26.061 the first French army which 08:26.061 --> 08:28.172 participated in the liberation of the 08:28.172 --> 08:30.172 territory until the final victory . 08:30.172 --> 08:32.283 Some of these enlisted men will fight 08:32.283 --> 08:34.283 enemy troops entrenched on the west 08:34.283 --> 08:36.339 coast , preventing them from further 08:36.339 --> 08:38.061 joining the fronts . All these 08:38.061 --> 08:39.894 resistance fighters from diverse 08:39.894 --> 08:41.950 backgrounds with different political 08:41.950 --> 08:43.950 philo , philosophical and religious 08:43.950 --> 08:45.672 sensibilities united under the 08:45.672 --> 08:47.839 authority of General Charles de Gola . 08:47.909 --> 08:49.853 What they all had in common was of 08:49.853 --> 08:52.169 course the love of France . But above 08:52.179 --> 08:55.679 all else , the love of freedom . It was 08:55.690 --> 08:57.912 these very values , love of country and 08:57.912 --> 08:59.746 love of freedom that they wanted 08:59.746 --> 09:01.690 younger generations to know and to 09:01.690 --> 09:04.400 understand long after they were gone . 09:04.679 --> 09:06.568 That is why these very resistance 09:06.568 --> 09:08.346 fighters created the resistance 09:08.346 --> 09:11.229 foundation in 1993 . This lasting 09:11.239 --> 09:13.461 structure now makes it possible to tell 09:13.461 --> 09:15.683 their stories along with the history of 09:15.683 --> 09:18.017 their commitment to country and freedom , 09:18.017 --> 09:20.239 conveying the Democratic and Republican 09:20.239 --> 09:22.406 values for which they fought at such a 09:22.406 --> 09:24.628 young age . They were like the American 09:24.628 --> 09:26.750 people viscerally opposed to Nazi 09:26.760 --> 09:29.950 ideology and paranoid madness of hatred , 09:29.960 --> 09:32.359 conceived by a single man which was 09:32.369 --> 09:35.340 followed by millions of others , albeit 09:35.520 --> 09:37.242 I cannot speak for de Gaulle's 09:37.242 --> 09:39.298 resistance . What I am certain of is 09:39.298 --> 09:41.520 they would have been happy and proud to 09:41.520 --> 09:43.464 see that their American liberators 09:43.464 --> 09:45.631 recognized and magnified the greatness 09:45.631 --> 09:47.631 of their sacrifice by erecting this 09:47.631 --> 09:49.409 monument and Commemorating this 09:49.409 --> 09:52.039 monument of our common history . Thank 09:52.049 --> 09:53.049 you , 10:07.690 --> 10:10.669 courage and sacrifice . These are the 10:10.679 --> 10:12.719 words that I think of most often in 10:12.729 --> 10:15.429 Normandy without the courage and 10:15.440 --> 10:17.750 sacrifice of the French and allied 10:17.760 --> 10:20.039 citizens , both at home and on the 10:20.049 --> 10:22.590 front lines . This world would be much , 10:22.809 --> 10:26.359 be much lesser place . The toll of the 10:26.369 --> 10:27.925 Normandy campaign is nearly 10:27.925 --> 10:30.919 unfathomable . Nearly 73,000 allies 10:30.929 --> 10:33.489 killed or captured and more than 100 10:33.500 --> 10:36.280 and 50,000 wounded . On the French side , 10:36.619 --> 10:39.099 there was an estimated 14,000 civilians 10:39.109 --> 10:41.109 killed during the fighting and more 10:41.109 --> 10:43.580 than 100 and 50,000 French lost their 10:43.590 --> 10:46.479 homes and were forced to flee . We must 10:46.489 --> 10:48.710 never forget the innocent French that 10:48.719 --> 10:52.229 we have lost . The cost of liberation 10:52.239 --> 10:54.406 would have been far greater if not for 10:54.406 --> 10:57.349 the courage and sacrifice of the men 10:57.359 --> 11:00.630 and women . We honor today . Those of 11:00.640 --> 11:02.849 the Normandy French resistance and the 11:02.859 --> 11:06.140 Charles de Gare French . I started 11:06.150 --> 11:09.570 coming to Normandy in 2013 . It was a 11:09.580 --> 11:11.770 lifelong dream to walk these grounds . 11:12.789 --> 11:14.900 What I witnessed was how much the Fre 11:14.900 --> 11:17.270 French citizens honor our veterans and 11:17.280 --> 11:19.336 how they are the most loving hosts , 11:20.440 --> 11:22.662 enormous display of love that can never 11:22.662 --> 11:25.700 be put into words . I feel blessed to 11:25.710 --> 11:27.890 be able to witness it and I'm honored 11:27.900 --> 11:30.830 to know you . I have returned to these 11:30.840 --> 11:32.960 hollow grounds almost annually since 11:32.969 --> 11:36.099 then . Studying more and more as a 11:36.109 --> 11:38.331 student of military history , it dawned 11:38.331 --> 11:40.469 on me that the years of courage and 11:40.479 --> 11:43.140 sacrifice of the brave souls who stood 11:43.150 --> 11:45.750 against the brutal Nazi occupation was 11:45.760 --> 11:47.704 undoubtedly the most effective and 11:47.704 --> 11:49.816 enduring shaping operation leading up 11:49.816 --> 11:52.190 to D day and into the liberation of 11:52.200 --> 11:55.549 France . I then thought , why is there 11:55.559 --> 11:57.726 not a monument in the region where the 11:57.726 --> 11:59.859 Normandy and the Calvados resistance 11:59.869 --> 12:01.770 contribution can be recognized , 12:01.830 --> 12:04.820 honored the humble Normans host World 12:04.830 --> 12:07.369 War Two Allied Nations and monuments to 12:07.380 --> 12:09.859 their deeds without acknowledging their 12:09.869 --> 12:12.190 own . Today , we seek to honor our 12:12.200 --> 12:14.422 friends with a monument , paying homage 12:14.422 --> 12:16.650 to the French resistance and their 12:16.659 --> 12:20.330 courage and sacrifice . What you see 12:20.340 --> 12:22.507 before you are the three components of 12:22.507 --> 12:24.562 the resistance , the middle aged man 12:24.562 --> 12:26.451 with the Lorraine on his shoulder 12:26.451 --> 12:28.396 called de Lorraine on his shoulder 12:28.396 --> 12:30.618 along with the mark two sten submachine 12:30.618 --> 12:33.429 gun . He is the guerilla force , a 12:33.440 --> 12:35.650 group of irregular personnel organized 12:35.659 --> 12:37.437 along military lines to conduct 12:37.437 --> 12:39.989 military and paramilitary operations 12:40.000 --> 12:42.979 and enemy held hostile or denied 12:42.989 --> 12:46.270 territory . The woman is the auxiliary . 12:47.140 --> 12:49.159 It was providing active clandestine 12:49.169 --> 12:51.299 support to the guerilla force or the 12:51.309 --> 12:54.130 underground . The young boy represents 12:54.140 --> 12:56.150 the underground , the cellular 12:56.159 --> 12:58.381 organization within the resistance that 12:58.381 --> 13:00.492 has the ability to conduct operations 13:00.492 --> 13:02.603 in areas that are inaccessible to the 13:02.603 --> 13:04.830 guerrillas such as urban areas under 13:04.840 --> 13:07.219 control of the local security forces 13:07.719 --> 13:10.659 together eventually sponsored by allied 13:10.669 --> 13:14.669 special services . The OS S and the soe 13:15.030 --> 13:16.863 recognized by the parachute camp 13:16.863 --> 13:19.789 canopies ringing the monument conducted 13:19.799 --> 13:22.849 unconventional warfare . The shadow war 13:22.859 --> 13:25.890 and the immense courage and sacrifice 13:26.150 --> 13:28.372 of all involved helped to overthrow the 13:28.372 --> 13:30.940 occupying Nazi power . They are the 13:30.950 --> 13:34.890 French resistance in 1945 . 13:34.900 --> 13:36.567 Churchill said to the British 13:36.567 --> 13:38.289 Parliament . I hope all of you 13:38.289 --> 13:40.400 understand what kind of soldiers were 13:40.400 --> 13:42.233 called to arms in this war . You 13:42.233 --> 13:44.289 probably recall your brother or your 13:44.289 --> 13:47.429 son leaving one day to participate in 13:47.440 --> 13:49.960 the greatest effort to free the free to 13:49.969 --> 13:52.136 effort to free the world from Nazism . 13:52.739 --> 13:54.906 But in the same room , many of you can 13:54.909 --> 13:57.340 testify for a rank of soldiers in the 13:57.349 --> 13:59.690 shadows of the intelligence service and 13:59.700 --> 14:02.450 preparations for all of this , the men 14:02.460 --> 14:04.460 and women that gave us the tools to 14:04.460 --> 14:07.820 make this plan succeed . My first son's 14:07.830 --> 14:10.520 namesake , Winston was right today is a 14:10.530 --> 14:13.159 special day . A moment that embraces 14:13.169 --> 14:15.710 these words more than ever . 80 years 14:15.719 --> 14:17.830 after the beginning of the liberation 14:17.830 --> 14:20.000 of Europe . We are together here to 14:20.010 --> 14:22.177 make sure that these words will remain 14:22.177 --> 14:24.121 embedded for generations to come . 14:24.419 --> 14:27.349 Words of recognition , words of an 14:27.359 --> 14:29.679 unconditional collaboration between 14:29.690 --> 14:32.219 allied Special Services and common men , 14:32.359 --> 14:34.630 women and Children overcoming an 14:34.640 --> 14:36.696 occupation , the best way they could 14:36.840 --> 14:39.969 risking their lives every day . A 14:39.979 --> 14:42.679 shining example of courage and 14:42.690 --> 14:45.280 sacrifice for the ages . The 14:45.289 --> 14:47.122 quintessential example of Isaiah 14:47.122 --> 14:49.780 chapter six verse eight . Then I heard 14:49.789 --> 14:51.820 the voice of the Lord saying , whom 14:51.830 --> 14:54.640 shall I send and who will go for us ? 14:54.919 --> 14:57.799 And I said , here am I send me ? 14:59.000 --> 15:01.111 This monument would not have happened 15:01.111 --> 15:03.167 without the support of an incredible 15:03.167 --> 15:05.000 team of at operation democracy , 15:05.000 --> 15:07.111 particularly Kay Weninger and Colonel 15:07.111 --> 15:09.222 retired Andy Anderson , the talent of 15:09.222 --> 15:11.450 our sculptor Steven Spears and the 15:11.460 --> 15:13.571 behind the scenes supporting effort , 15:13.571 --> 15:15.859 Kathy . So Kyle Brile and Monique Tap , 15:16.820 --> 15:18.431 who were all instrumental in 15:18.431 --> 15:20.431 facilitating support so we could be 15:20.431 --> 15:22.209 successful in this world worthy 15:22.209 --> 15:25.309 endeavor . Lastly , I would be remiss 15:25.320 --> 15:28.039 if I did not highlight the love and 15:28.049 --> 15:30.049 support of my incredibly talented , 15:30.049 --> 15:32.320 patient and loving wife , who during 15:32.330 --> 15:34.386 the past five years has provided the 15:34.386 --> 15:37.619 encouragement and strength and patience 15:37.630 --> 15:39.686 in supporting me in contributing and 15:39.686 --> 15:42.460 remembering our collective history all 15:42.469 --> 15:44.691 while taking care of our boys , Winston 15:44.691 --> 15:47.460 and Wells Stephanie . I love you . 15:47.729 --> 15:49.673 You're an incredible human being , 15:49.673 --> 15:52.799 daughter , mother , wife and a patriot . 15:53.690 --> 15:55.912 In closing , I would like to share what 15:55.912 --> 15:57.857 President Reagan said here once in 15:57.857 --> 16:00.940 Normandy , we will always remember we 16:00.950 --> 16:04.770 will always be proud , we will always 16:04.780 --> 16:08.409 be prepared so we may be free , be 16:08.419 --> 16:09.530 oppressed . So bear 16:18.559 --> 16:21.539 distinguished guests , Mayor Charles de 16:21.580 --> 16:25.299 Valer Ellie LAE , Mr Philippe Tan , 16:25.390 --> 16:27.612 regional President of the Army Veterans 16:27.612 --> 16:30.349 Association , great people of Summery 16:30.409 --> 16:32.650 Dumont and the Greater Normandy area 16:32.659 --> 16:34.603 and brave veterans who continue to 16:34.609 --> 16:37.609 inspire generations . Today , we gather 16:37.619 --> 16:39.508 at the Normandy French Resistance 16:39.508 --> 16:41.780 Monument to honor an undying legacy of 16:41.789 --> 16:43.956 courage and commitment , a legacy that 16:43.956 --> 16:47.299 80 years ago shaped the very world we 16:47.309 --> 16:49.400 live in . Today . We stand here to 16:49.409 --> 16:51.576 remember the valor of those who fought 16:51.576 --> 16:53.859 the wisdom of those who led and the 16:53.869 --> 16:56.169 spirit of an unrelenting resistance 16:56.179 --> 16:59.869 that changed the course of history . We 17:00.000 --> 17:02.299 we pay homage to Charles de Gaulle and 17:02.309 --> 17:04.390 his Free French whose voice of 17:04.400 --> 17:06.233 resistance echoing from London , 17:06.709 --> 17:08.920 ignited hope during France's darkest 17:08.930 --> 17:11.719 hours . It was De Gaulle who famously 17:11.729 --> 17:13.673 adopted the cross of Lorraine as a 17:13.673 --> 17:16.160 symbol of defiance , a beacon that 17:16.170 --> 17:18.630 rallied the Free French forces to fight 17:18.640 --> 17:21.170 against tyranny . This emblem stands 17:21.180 --> 17:23.670 not only as a symbol of the free French 17:23.680 --> 17:25.513 and French resistance , but as a 17:25.513 --> 17:27.839 timeless emblem of freedom's fight 17:27.849 --> 17:29.829 against repression . The Normandy 17:29.839 --> 17:32.061 landings , part of the larger operation 17:32.061 --> 17:34.283 overlord were pivotal in the liberation 17:34.283 --> 17:36.219 of France and Europe from Nazi 17:36.229 --> 17:38.739 occupation . But let us not forget that 17:38.750 --> 17:40.920 the success of D Day was also 17:40.930 --> 17:43.041 significantly bolstered by the heroic 17:43.041 --> 17:45.680 actions of the Normandy and Calvados . 17:45.689 --> 17:48.180 French resistance . These brave men and 17:48.189 --> 17:50.245 women provided critical intelligence 17:50.245 --> 17:52.189 disrupted enemy communications and 17:52.189 --> 17:54.300 safeguarded the routes used by allied 17:54.300 --> 17:56.670 forces to ensure the success of the 17:56.680 --> 17:58.736 liberation effort . Their unwavering 17:58.736 --> 18:01.060 spirit was crucial in the weeks leading 18:01.069 --> 18:02.902 up to and following the landings 18:02.902 --> 18:05.040 proving instrumental in the allies' 18:05.050 --> 18:08.359 eventual victory . Today , as we 18:08.369 --> 18:10.810 reflect on those monumental events , we 18:10.819 --> 18:13.280 also celebrate the lasting bond between 18:13.290 --> 18:15.123 France and the United States . A 18:15.199 --> 18:17.599 friendship forged in the fires of war 18:17.660 --> 18:20.310 and solidified through shared values 18:20.319 --> 18:22.760 and mutual respect . This monument 18:22.770 --> 18:24.770 stands as a testament to our united 18:24.770 --> 18:27.000 front against tyranny . A front that 18:27.010 --> 18:29.121 endures in the steadfast partnerships 18:29.121 --> 18:31.420 we see in today's global landscape . 18:31.949 --> 18:34.040 Drawing parallels from the past . We 18:34.050 --> 18:36.217 recognize the contributions of the Jed 18:36.217 --> 18:38.050 bro teams during World war I , I 18:38.050 --> 18:39.939 comprised of American British and 18:39.949 --> 18:41.729 French operatives . These teams 18:41.739 --> 18:44.329 parachuted into occupied France . They 18:44.339 --> 18:46.061 worked closely with the French 18:46.061 --> 18:48.228 resistance , training them , supplying 18:48.228 --> 18:50.395 them and coordinating guerilla warfare 18:50.395 --> 18:52.395 efforts that were crucial to allied 18:52.395 --> 18:54.561 success . The spirit of the Jed Burras 18:54.561 --> 18:56.561 lives in today's special Operations 18:56.561 --> 18:58.783 forces who continue to uphold the ethos 18:58.783 --> 19:01.000 of cooper and excellence in defense of 19:01.010 --> 19:03.189 our nations . It's a culture and a way 19:03.199 --> 19:05.532 of life that transcends time and nation . 19:05.709 --> 19:07.709 It's something we carry on today in 19:07.709 --> 19:10.010 remembrance of their legacy . Our 19:10.020 --> 19:12.242 commitment to global peace and security 19:12.242 --> 19:14.076 is a direct inheritance from the 19:14.076 --> 19:16.131 lessons learned and alliances formed 19:16.131 --> 19:18.979 during those fateful days . In 1944 the 19:18.989 --> 19:21.156 challenges we face today may differ in 19:21.156 --> 19:23.660 form but not in nature from what 19:23.670 --> 19:25.726 brought us together on these beaches 19:25.726 --> 19:27.859 and beyond 80 years ago , tyranny and 19:27.869 --> 19:30.420 injustice still threaten our collective 19:30.430 --> 19:32.540 peace and prosperity . It is the 19:32.550 --> 19:34.717 challenges . It is in these challenges 19:34.717 --> 19:36.883 that the spirit of the Jed bro teams , 19:36.883 --> 19:38.939 the courage of the French resistance 19:38.939 --> 19:40.828 and the leadership exemplified by 19:40.828 --> 19:42.661 figures like Charles de Gaulle , 19:42.661 --> 19:44.661 inspire our continued commitment to 19:44.661 --> 19:47.060 stand together in honoring the past . 19:47.069 --> 19:49.291 We reaffirm our resolve to uphold these 19:49.291 --> 19:51.459 values and to continue nurturing the 19:51.469 --> 19:54.040 bonds with our allies and friends . We 19:54.050 --> 19:56.400 recognize that the security and freedom 19:56.560 --> 19:58.338 we enjoy today are built on the 19:58.338 --> 20:00.616 sacrifices of those who came before us . 20:00.616 --> 20:02.838 The cross of Lorraine which once guided 20:02.838 --> 20:04.949 the Free French now reminds us of our 20:04.949 --> 20:07.004 duty to defend the liberties we hold 20:07.004 --> 20:09.459 dear as we commemorate the 80th 20:09.469 --> 20:11.869 anniversary of D day . Let us pledge to 20:11.880 --> 20:14.069 carry forward the legacy of unity and 20:14.079 --> 20:16.290 bravery . Let us dedicate ourselves an 20:16.300 --> 20:18.400 new to the cause of peace , to the 20:18.410 --> 20:20.632 defense of freedom and the pursuit of a 20:20.632 --> 20:22.688 better world . For in remembrance of 20:22.688 --> 20:24.949 their sacrifice , we find the strength 20:24.959 --> 20:27.150 to face the challenges of today and to 20:27.160 --> 20:29.520 forge a path toward a united and 20:29.530 --> 20:32.199 prosperous tomorrow . As we commemorate 20:32.209 --> 20:34.680 the 80th anniversary of D day , let us 20:34.689 --> 20:36.800 pledge to carry forward the legacy of 20:36.800 --> 20:39.079 unity and bravery . Let us dedicate 20:39.089 --> 20:41.367 ourselves an new to the cause of peace , 20:41.380 --> 20:43.269 to the defense of freedom and the 20:43.269 --> 20:45.213 pursuit of a better world . For in 20:45.213 --> 20:47.420 remembrance of their sacrifice . We 20:47.430 --> 20:49.097 find the strength to face the 20:49.097 --> 20:51.640 challenges of today and to forge a path 20:51.650 --> 20:53.983 toward a united and prosperous tomorrow . 20:54.500 --> 20:56.780 As the shadows of the past conflicts 20:56.790 --> 20:58.734 give way to the light of peace and 20:58.734 --> 21:01.229 cooper . We must remember that our work 21:01.239 --> 21:03.989 is not done . The world remains a place 21:04.000 --> 21:06.170 of complexity and challenge and the 21:06.180 --> 21:08.270 ideals for which the allied forces 21:08.280 --> 21:11.150 fought are still under threat . We are 21:11.160 --> 21:13.049 the bearers of their legacy , the 21:13.049 --> 21:14.993 custodians of their memory and the 21:14.993 --> 21:17.104 architects of a future they fought to 21:17.104 --> 21:18.790 secure for us . Thank you 21:23.719 --> 21:24.719 Rich . 21:32.599 --> 21:34.839 Welcome to this ceremony at our 21:34.849 --> 21:37.880 beautiful resistance monument . This is 21:37.890 --> 21:40.160 a special year , the 80th anniversary 21:40.170 --> 21:42.969 of the day . This is an opportunity to 21:42.979 --> 21:46.010 recall how this monument came to be and 21:46.020 --> 21:49.400 why it is here . This monument a gift 21:49.410 --> 21:51.760 from the Americans with the help of 21:51.770 --> 21:54.719 operation democracy and specifically 21:54.729 --> 21:57.000 the enthusiasm and determination of 21:57.010 --> 22:00.689 Captain Joseph Ivanov . A will to honor 22:00.699 --> 22:03.729 the resistance , their actions and the 22:03.739 --> 22:06.089 importance of the Jet Beg Operation . 22:06.709 --> 22:09.569 Not only were these decisions , action , 22:09.579 --> 22:12.209 decisive actions , but today are still 22:12.219 --> 22:15.310 examples of common missions between 22:15.319 --> 22:17.800 several nations that share the same 22:17.810 --> 22:21.589 history today . Thanks to this monument , 22:21.599 --> 22:24.229 the memory of all resistance fighters 22:24.239 --> 22:26.469 have now been placed at the forefront 22:26.479 --> 22:28.349 of our minds , given them the 22:28.359 --> 22:30.719 recognition they deserve . This 22:30.729 --> 22:32.951 monument is beautiful . The work of the 22:32.951 --> 22:35.089 sculpture , Stephen spears deserve 22:35.099 --> 22:37.640 careful attention . Since its 22:37.650 --> 22:41.349 inauguration in in 20 in 2021 a 22:41.369 --> 22:43.369 convention was established with the 22:43.369 --> 22:45.800 foundation of the resistance which 22:45.810 --> 22:48.890 every year organizes this commemoration 22:48.900 --> 22:51.989 with us . A lecture like this . The one 22:52.000 --> 22:54.060 taking place tonight at the beach 22:54.069 --> 22:56.709 Museum is a great way to share and 22:56.719 --> 23:00.010 remember history . It is important to 23:00.020 --> 23:02.939 acknowledge the local people that build 23:02.949 --> 23:05.869 the base of this monument who continues 23:05.880 --> 23:08.719 its upkeep and preservation in the 23:08.729 --> 23:11.050 memory of the resistance . This 23:11.060 --> 23:13.420 monument is the first stop to reflect 23:13.430 --> 23:15.800 for reflection , for those going on to 23:15.810 --> 23:18.900 the beach . I will conclude by quoting 23:18.910 --> 23:21.709 an excerpt from my Manchin's farewell 23:21.719 --> 23:25.250 letter to his wife Milne a few hours 23:25.260 --> 23:27.489 before being shot . A magnificent 23:27.500 --> 23:30.599 letter that has been read over and over 23:30.609 --> 23:34.369 again , rediscovered at the time of 23:34.380 --> 23:37.550 his entrance into the Pantheon , we 23:37.560 --> 23:40.430 have to try to place ourselves in this 23:40.439 --> 23:44.119 context , taste the sweetness of peace 23:44.900 --> 23:47.510 80 years later , are we still living up 23:47.520 --> 23:49.780 to this legacy of the resistance 23:49.790 --> 23:52.609 fighters ? And are we still aware of 23:52.619 --> 23:55.189 what they have done for us ? Thank you 23:55.199 --> 23:57.310 for your attention and for being here 23:57.310 --> 23:57.760 this morning .