World War II veterans travel to Normandy for emotional D-Day commemoration

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Some World War II veterans have landed in France to mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Friday.

A group of about two dozen veterans who served in Europe and the Pacific traveled back to the once bloody beaches of Normandy, the Associated Press reported. 

The veterans, who are mostly centenarians, represent the dwindling number of those who were on the front lines defending freedom. 

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About 66,143 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II were alive as of 2024, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The veterans in Normandy are reportedly treated like "rock stars" in the region, being handed notes and hearing many "thank yous."

Jack Stowe, a 98-year-old who served in the Navy, told AP he still receives "the sweetest letters" from kids he has met on previous trips.

"The French people here, they're so good to us … they want to talk to us, they want to sit down and they want their kids around us," he said.

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Stowe said he lied about his age, claiming to be 15 years old, in order to join the military following Pearl Harbor in 1941.

"People are not going to let it be forgotten, you know, Omaha, these beaches … These stories will go on and on and on," said Stowe.

Jake Larson, 102, survived machine gunfire while storming Omaha beach on D-Day.

"We are the lucky ones … They had no family. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive," Larson told AP.

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Wally King, a 101-year-old who flew a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, honored a pilot who flew the same plane alongside his granddaughter.

"This will probably be the last Normandy return, when you see the condition of some of us old guys … I hope I'm wrong," King told AP.

The Best Defense Foundation began organizing trips to Normandy in 2004.

Last year, the nonprofit brought 50 veterans; this year, 23 were on the trip.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.