Bush Tells Chirac He Will Attend 60th Anniversary of D-Day

TBO.com ^

[Sub-Driver]

Bush Tells Chirac He Will Attend 60th Anniversary of D-Day The Associated Press Published: Mar 19, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush will join scores of leaders in France for ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the allies' D-Day invasion that proved to be a turning point of World War II. Bush accepted the invitation for the June 6 ceremony in Normandy in a telephone call with French President Jacques Chirac, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

Relations between Bush and Chirac have been strained by France's opposition to the Iraq war. McClellan said Bush thanked Chirac "for his strong statements of support for fighting terrorism in the aftermath of the Madrid terrorist attacks" last week that killed more than 200 people.

Chirac said France "shares our commitment to showing strength and resolve in the fight against terrorism," McClellan said.

He said Bush also stressed the importance of forgiving the vast majority of Iraq's foreign debt.

The allies' invasion on June 6, 1944, was the first breach in Hitler's Atlantic wall and led to the liberation of France and the defeat of Nazi Germany.

[CasearianDaoist]

And he ought to chew his @ss off.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Great, tell the Prez he'll have to bring his own stones if he wants to make a cross on the beach.

[dfwgator]

Chirac said France "shares our commitment to showing strength and resolve in the fight against terrorism," McClellan said.

Yeah, right!

[Frank_Discussion]

Yes, apparently because France has no stones to speak of...

;-)

[familyofman]

"And he ought to chew his @ss off."

Neither the time or place for such attitude - it would only dishonor those that gave so much on D-Day.

[Kewz1]

President Bush's atendance will be a nice visual reminder that the USA (and the UK) are the reason the French are not speaking German right now.

[Frank_Discussion]

I agree. He can do it in private and tell us about it later.

[Gefreiter]

Tell you the truth, I'm surprised Bush was invited at all.

What became of those Brit D-Day vets who were asked to stay home this year? Were they eventually allowed to attend?

[mtbopfuyn]

Woohoo! Way to stick it to the Frenchies.

[jwalsh07]

Chirac damn well better have his security in order.

[Lion in Winter]

LOL!!! So right!

[Eva]

I bet Chirac is not happy that Bush accepted his invitation. Bush's presence will only serve to highlight the repeat performance of France collaboration with the enemy and their dependence on the US for their own defence.

[Dahoser]

Neither the time or place for such attitude - it would only dishonor those that gave so much on D-Day.

Speaking of which, we can be sure that this President will not dishonor them by his staff stealing items from an aircraft carrier unlike the last President who visited France for a D-Day anniversary.

[ClearCase_guy]

I'm sure our President will re-read President Reagan's wonderful D-Day speech and prepare one in that spirit. He is very good at making speeches to mark momentous occasions.

[WV Mountain Mama]

Yep, their security forces have been doing yoga, now they can put their hands up even higher than before.

[familyofman]

My brothers & I are trying to find a way to get our father over to Normandy for the celebration. He's expressed an interest in going back to Omaha Beach which surprised us all since he hasn't said more than a couple of words about D-Day ever. His health is really fading (don't think he'll be around for 6/6) but we might be able to get him to the WWII Memorial celebration in May.

[krb]

I'm sure our President will re-read President Reagan's wonderful D-Day speech and prepare one in that spirit.

These are the boys of Point du Hoc," he said, pointing at the Ranger veterans sitting on the stage with him. "These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end the war...."

[Atlas Sneezed]

Address at the U.S.-French Ceremony at Omaha Beach on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day.

President Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984. Normandy, France.

We stand today at a place of battle, one that 40 years ago saw and felt the worst of war. Men bled and died here for a few feet of - or inches of sand, as bullets and shellfire cut through their ranks. About them, General Omar Bradley later said, "Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach that day was a hero."

Some who survived the battle of June 6, 1944, are here today. Others who hoped to return never did.

"Someday, Lis, I'll go back," said Private First Class Peter Robert Zannata, of the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion, and first assault wave to hit Omaha Beach. "I'll go back, and I'll see it all again. I'll see the beach, the barricades, and the graves."

Those words of Private Zanatta come to us from his daughter, Lisa Zanatta Henn, in a heart-rending story about the event her father spoke of so often. "In his words, the Normandy invasion would change his life forever," she said. She tells some of his stories of World War II but says of her father, "the story to end all stories was D-Day."

"He made me feel the fear of being on the boat waiting to land. I can smell the ocean and feel the sea sickness. I can see the looks on his fellow soldiers' faces-the fear, the anguish, the uncertainty of what lay ahead. And when they landed, I can feel the strength and courage of the men who took those first steps through the tide to what must have surely looked like instant death."

Private Zannata's daughter wrote to me, "I don't know how or why I can feel this emptiness, this fear, or this determination, but I do. Maybe it's the bond I had with my father. All I know is that it brings tears to my eyes to think about my father as a 20-year old boy having to face that beach."

The anniversary of D-Day was always special to her family. And like all the families of those who went to war, she describes how she came to realize her own father's survival was a miracle: "So many men died. I know that my father watched many of his friends be killed. I know that he must have died inside a little each time. But his explanation to me was, `You did what you had to do, and you kept on going."

When men like Private Zannata and all our Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy 40 years ago they came not as conquerors, but as liberators. When these troops swept across the French countryside and into the forests of Belgium and Luxembourg they came not to take, but to return what had been wrongfully seized. When our forces marched into Germany they came not to prey on a brave and defeated people, but to nurture the seeds of democracy among those who yearned to bee free again.

We salute them today. But, Mr. President [Francois Mitterand of France], we also salute those who, like yourself, were already engaging the enemy inside your beloved country-the French Resistance. Your valiant struggle for France did so much to cripple the enemy and spur the advance of the armies of liberation. The French Forces of the Interior will forever personify courage and national spirit. They will be a timeless inspiration to all who are free and to all who would be free.

Today, in their memory, and for all who fought here, we celebrate the triumph of democracy. We reaffirm the unity of democratic people who fought a war and then joined with the vanquished in a firm resolve to keep the peace.

From a terrible war we learned that unity made us invincible; now, in peace, that same unity makes us secure. We sought to bring all freedom-loving nations together in a community dedicated to the defense and preservation of our sacred values. Our alliance, forged in the crucible of war, tempered and shaped by the realities of the post-war world, has succeeded. In Europe, the threat has been contained, the peace has been kept.

Today, the living here assembled-officials, veterans, citizens-are a tribute to what was achieved here 40 years ago. This land is secure. We are free. These things are worth fighting and dying for.

Lisa Zannata Henn began her story by quoting her father, who promised that he would return to Normandy. She ended with a promise to her father, who died 8 years ago of cancer: "I'm going there, Dad, and I'll see the beaches and the barricades and the monuments. I'll see the graves, and I'll put flowers there just like you wanted to do. I'll never forget what you went through, Dad, nor will I let any one else forget. And, Dad, I'll always be proud."

Through the words of his loving daughter, who is here with us today, a D-Day veteran has shown us the meaning of this day far better than any President can. It is enough to say about Private Zannata and all the men of honor and courage who fought beside him four decades ago: We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.

Thank you.

[WoofDog123]

"President Bush's atendance will be a nice visual reminder that the USA (and the UK) are the reason the French are not speaking German right now"

Don't forget the tremendous contribution of the USSR to german defeat. It is unfortunate that they were ruled by one of the single most terrible neurotic mass-murderers in history.