More than 60 World War II veterans blasted off from Dallas on Friday for France, where they will attend ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The organization is between 107 and 107 years old, according to American Airlines, which is taking them to Paris for the first time. This flight is one of many that bring veterans to France for commemoration.
The organization will participate in a wreath-laying rite at the American Cemetery in Suresnes, make a stop at the Eiffel Tower and sign up for a daily rite known as the Rekindling of the Flame, which will pay tribute to the fallen servicemen in France at the Arc de Triomphe.
They then headed to the Normandy region for occasions that included wreath-laying ceremonies on the beaches of Omaha and Utah, two of the landing sites of the allied forces.
Nearly 160,000 Allied troops, in addition to 73,000 Americans, landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, in a major amphibious operation to break through the heavily fortified German defenses and initiate the liberation of Western Europe.
A total of 4,415 Allied infantrymen were killed on D-Day, according to Project Necrology, adding about 2,500 Americans. More than 5,000 people were injured.
The Dallas organization includes six Medal of Honor recipients from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars who will honor World War II veterans.
There are also two Rosie the Riveters, who represent the women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war.
Hundreds of thousands of military women from allied countries also held non-combat positions, such as codebreakers, shipping conspirators, radar operators, and cartographers.
Various ceremonies are being held in France to commemorate this day and to thank the veterans, some of whom will undertake the long transatlantic adventure despite their complex age, fatigue and physical difficulties.
“We will forget it. And we have to tell them,” Philippe Étienne, president of the commemoration’s organizer, Mission Libération, told the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, although an estimated 100,000 American World War II veterans are still alive, the National World War II Museum in New Orleans functions to maintain their memory.
To succeed with new generations, the museum sends curricula to schools across the country and offers immersive exhibits, such as the one on the War of the Pacific.
“I think this story is important to them going forward,” Michael Arvites, an instructor at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, told CBS News. “In an ever-changing world, there are new and old threats. ”
Steve Ellis served on an invasion landing craft in World War II in the Pacific and recently shared his stories with seniors at Holy Cross High.
“That first time in combat, were you nervous, or do you feel like your upbringing prepared you for that moment, or what were your emotions at the time?” one student asked.
“For me, and I think for most of my contemporaries, when we’re in combat, no, not nervous at all, we’re just doing our job,” Ellis replied.
— Barry Petersen contributed to this report.