President Joe Biden honored the 80th anniversary of D-Day with a speech at Pointe du Hoc, using the legacy of the brave World War II soldiers to draw parallels between their struggle and the modern challenges facing the United States, specifically referencing the war in Ukraine.
Speaking from the historic site where Army Rangers scaled 100-foot cliffs to neutralize German artillery targeting troops landing on the Omaha and Utah beaches, Biden paid tribute to the soldiers’ valor and sacrifice.
“As we gather here today, it’s not just to honor those who showed such remarkable bravery that day June 6, 1944,” Biden said. “It’s to listen to the echo of their voices. To hear them. Because they are summoning us. They’re asking us what will we do. They’re not asking us to scale these cliffs. They’re asking us to stay true to what America stands for.”
Detailing the heroic deeds done by the soldiers that day, he described how the U.S. needs to continue to fight for freedom and democracy.
“When we talk about democracy, American democracy, we often talk about the ideals of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. What we don’t talk about is how hard it is,” Biden said. “The most natural instinct is to walk away, to be selfish, to force our will upon others, to seize power, to never give up. American democracy asks the hardest of things, to believe that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.”
Biden’s address mirrored President Ronald Reagan’s speech at the same location to commemorate the 40th anniversary of D-Day. Biden similarly called on Americans to honor the legacy of the fallen by standing against isolationism and tyranny.
“They’re not asking us to do their job,” Biden said, referring to the soldiers commemorated by the monument. “They’re asking us to do our job — to protect freedom in our time, to defend democracy, to stand up to aggression abroad and at home, to be part of something bigger than ourselves.”
Biden reaffirmed his belief in America’s enduring greatness. “My fellow Americans, I refuse to believe, I simply refuse to believe that America’s greatness is a thing of the past,” he stated.
Drawing a comparison between Hitler’s aggression and President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, Biden said, “A feared dictator (who) had conquered a continent had finally met his match. Because of them, the war turned. They stood against Hitler’s aggression. Does anyone doubt, does anyone doubt that they would want America to stand up against Putin’s aggression here in Europe today?”
Earlier in the day, Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and apologized for delays in a $61 billion aid package to support Ukraine’s war effort, according to The Associated Press.
“We’re still in. Completely. Thoroughly,” Biden assured Zelenskyy, per news reports.