Luke with reenactors at Gold Beach (Luke Basso, Filmperia)
On June 6th, 2024, the 80th anniversary of D-Day was commemorated in Normandy, France.
Remembering D-Day is extremely important because it marked the beginning of the end of the Third Reich’s oppression of Nazi-controlled Europe. The heroes of WWII should be honored for their heroic sacrifices.
Tens of thousands of people gathered from across the world to celebrate this historic event. I decided to skip my high school graduation in Wilmington, North Carolina, to be present during this celebration. Although I did not have access to Omaha Beach on the exact day of the anniversary due to the presence of world leaders, I was able to spend the day at Gold Beach, where the British landed.
German pill box on Normandy beach (Luke Basso, Filmperia)
The day after, I visited Omaha and Utah beaches, along with several other sites. Everywhere I went in Normandy was D-Day-themed, with American, British, Canadian and French flags flying for miles. Reenactors filled the streets with hundreds of working WWII-era vehicles, most of them being Willys Jeeps.
I had the honor of meeting a few WWII veterans, including a French one, which was amazing since I’ve mostly only met American veterans. Most of these veterans are around 100 years old, and I am trying to meet as many as I can.
Normandy’s American Cemetary (Luke Basso, Filmperia)
While I was in Normandy, I had the opportunity to visit the American Military Cemetery there, where thousands of U.S. servicemen are buried. I’m impressed by how well taken care of the cemetery is, and it reminded me a lot of Arlington National Cemetery.
I was also glad to get the contact information of some veterans whom I can potentially Zoom call for my YouTube channel, Filmperia. On Filmperia, you can watch over 75 interviews with veterans and historical witnesses from WWII to the modern day.
