Shaheen, Hassan Travel to Normandy for 80th Anniversary of D-Day
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation SFRC Subcommittee, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, are traveling with a bipartisan Senate delegation to Normandy, France, to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by Allied forces during World War II. During their visit, the Senators will meet with high level government officials, participate in briefings, attend ceremonies with WWII veterans and visit the historic battlefields.
“80 years ago, brave Americans along with other Allied forces embarked on one of the most successful military operations in history. On the beaches of Normandy, their heroic actions changed the course of the war and thus the course of history,” said Shaheen. “I’m pleased to join this bipartisan delegation that will honor those who fought for democracy and freedom. Their sacrifices and bravery remind us that continuing to fight against authoritarianism and working to strengthen our alliances is how democracy will continue to prevail.”
“It is an honor to join this bipartisan delegation to pay tribute to the brave Americans and Allied soldiers who fought in Normandy to rid the world of Hitler’s tyranny. As we reach the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we have a responsibility to ensure that the sacrifice of the heroes who served there is never forgotten. We must remember the lessons that they left us: Evil cannot be defeated through indifference, freedom is always worth fighting for, and our democracy is capable of meeting any hour of danger,” said Hassan.
The U.S. Senate delegation is being led by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and John Boozman (R-AR). The delegation will join American and French leaders and veterans at a ceremony at the American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer. They will meet with World War II veterans and pay their respects at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial and join heads of state representing Allied partners at an international ceremony at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
The delegation will also watch as hundreds of U.S. servicemembers stationed in Europe, and from U.S.-based units with historical links to D-Day, join servicemembers and civilians from all over Europe participating in a commemorative parachute jump. While in France, the delegation will also meet with American diplomatic and military leadership stationed in Europe.
Senator Hassan joined a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Normandy, France in 2019 for the 75th anniversary of D-Day, meeting with World War II veterans from the United States who made the trip for the special occasion. In 2019, Senator Hassan also marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, which Senator Hassan’s father, Robert Wood, fought in as a member of the 76th Infantry Division. Wood served as an infantry sergeant in the 385th Regiment, Company C. During that bipartisan Congressional delegation visit, Senator Hassan and her colleagues met with U.S. veterans who fought at the Battle of the Bulge.
###
