WWII Vets Return to Normandy: An Emotional Journey 79 Years After D-Day
WWII Vets Return to Normandy: An Emotional Journey 79 Years After D-Day
Meet the Best Defense Foundation’s Medical Team
They defeated the Axis powers almost eight decades ago. Now, a group of 43 WWII veterans — with an average age of 100-years-old — have revisited their old battlegrounds throughout Normandy and paid tribute to those that never made it home. The Best Defense Foundation recently concluded its 79th Anniversary of D-Day Battlefield Return Program to Normandy on June 8. Veterans who attended the program could not go without the Foundation’s caretakers and medical team that form the program's backbone.
Day 10 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: The 79th Anniversary of D-Day Battlefield Return Program Concludes
Hearts are heavy but full of happiness. The Best Defense Foundation’s 79th Anniversary of D-Day Battlefield Return Program concluded as everyone loaded onto Delta Air Line’s plane, awaiting them on the tarmac. As a journalist, I’ve covered the Best Defense Foundation, so I’m no stranger to their impactful work. But seeing it from the inside out has shown me how much work every person puts into these programs, and I’m in complete awe.
Day 9 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: 1,200 Children Welcome WWII Veterans to Jeanne d’Arc Bayeux school, Best Defense says Adieu to Normandy
The Collège et Lycée Jeanne d’Arc welcomed 43 WWII veterans along with the rest of the Best Defense Foundation and its partners on Wed. The air was electric with the cheers of 1,200 French children beyond excited to see the veterans visiting their school. The foundation visited the school for a meet and greet that would allow children from Bayeux, France, to meet with their heroes, the liberators of Europe.
Day 8 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: Former Cpl. John “Jack” Foy Gives Speech Heard ‘Round the World
Boys too young to serve lied to get into the military so that they could fight for their country in WWII. Some as young as 15, and former Staff Sgt. Jake Larson was one of those people. He stormed the Normandy Beach on D-Day, braving heavy machine gun fire and artillery. He made it off the beach without any wounds, arguably a miracle. Now, he’s returned to the cemetery where so many of his friends were killed by Nazi machine gun fire on Omaha Beach 79 years ago.
Day 7 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: Best Defense Foundation Pays Tribute to Pegasus Bridge and Pointe-du-Hoc
Hours before American soldiers stormed Omaha Beach, Rangers hit the cliffs of Pointe-du-Hoc. They knocked out the enemy forces despite heavy machine gun fire and grenades raining down as they scaled the cliffs. They secured the cliff top, a critical win for the boys hitting the beachheads. 79 years later, the Best Defense Foundation attended a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the Rangers' success. 43 WWII veterans attended as US Air Force AC-130s flew overhead.
Day 6 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: 43 WWII Veterans Visit La Fiere and Utah Beach, Some Reconcile with Old Traumas
Tears dripped down from eyes that saw the carnage of war. The waves crash just beyond the sand dunes. For 6 of 43 WWII veterans, they are standing on Utah Beach, a place they remember. Many others were emotional, thinking of the family and friends they lost on this beach. Tec5 Robert P. ‘’Bob’’ Gibson landed on Utah Beach in the second wave on D-day. He was assigned to Battery A, 116th AAA Battalion, 1st Army. Seeing Utah Beach brings back vivid memories as it did for several other WWII veterans who attended the ceremony with Gibson.
Day 5 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: Glider Infantryman Reunites with Carentan, WWII Army Corps Nurse Turns 102
The people of Cerentan, France, and several soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division welcomed the Best Defense Foundation and 43 WWII veterans for a parade through the very streets the Allied forces liberated almost eight decades ago. Staff Sgt. George Mullins was one of the soldiers that broke the Nazis’ grip on Carentan. The Best Defense Foundation’s mission is to take care of the ones who took care of us. As part of that mission, Mullins had a chance to obtain closure by visiting the old battleground he fought tooth and nail through the streets at 18 years of age.
How One WWII Veteran Earned His Nickname
Nicknames were prevalent amongst the American GIs in WWII, but that tradition continues into today’s armed forces. One WWII veteran had his nickname well before the war, though. When I first met Robert “Boots” Chouinard on the first day of the 79th Anniversary of D-Day Battlefield Return Program to Normandy, he leaned in close and said, “Do you want to hear how I earned my nickname?”
Day 4 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: Best Defense Foundation Visits German and American Cemeteries, WWII Veteran Receives Legion of Honor
During the invasion of Normandy, 29,000 American soldiers were killed and 106,000 wounded or missing. D-day remains one of the bloodiest battles in America’s history. Almost 79 years later, 43 WWII veterans visited the Normandy American Cemetery on Friday. White crosses and Star of David headstones stretch as far as the eye can see. The somber beauty of the cemetery brought tears to almost everyone in the Best Defense Foundation’s group visiting the cemetery that day.
Day 3 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: 43 WWII Veterans land in Normandy, Visit Site of Abbey Massacre
When 43 WWII veterans land in Normandy on a historic flight, the whole local population comes out to welcome them — but it wasn’t just the Normans waiting. The Best Defense Foundation team was received on the Deauville Airport tarmac with open arms on Thursday. Several groups, including local elementary schools, regional and local officials, American military personnel, the press, WWII reenactor groups, and the general public, applauded as each veteran walked down the airplane staircase.
Day 2 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: 43 WWII Veterans Enroute to France via Historic Charter Flight
When America and her Allies liberated concentration camps throughout Europe from 1944 to 1945, it created waves that continued to ripple throughout history. Those saved went on to have families, many appreciative of the sacrifices the soldiers, sailors, and airmen made to liberate their families. What many of our WWII soldiers may not have known at the time is how grateful the children of Holocaust survivors would be.
Day 1 – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return: WWII Veterans Prepare for Return Voyage to Normandy 8 Decades Later
Almost 79 years ago, American military members and their allies were preparing for D-Day, the start of the fight to liberate Normandy, France, from her Nazi occupiers. Today, the Best Defense Foundation is kicking off the 79th Anniversary of D-Day Battlefield Return Program to Normandy with the sole mission of “taking care of those who took care of us.” 43 WWII veterans, many of whom fought throughout France, are making the great pilgrimage back to the land they liberated almost eight decades ago.
Press Release – 2023 Normandy Battlefield Return – 79th Anniversary
Best Defense Foundation announces 2023 Program to bring WWII Veterans back to Normandy for the 79th Anniversary of D-Day in partnership with Delta Air Lines, and with the support of Michelin. Best Defense Foundation thanks the French Embassy to the U.S. and the U.S. Mission to France for helping to share Veterans’ stories, as well as the Normandy Region for [...]
Best Defense Foundation announces 2023 Program to bring WWII Veterans back to Normandy for the 79th Anniversary in partnership with Delta Air Lines and the support of Michelin.
Normandy 79th Anniversary Best Defense Foundation announces 2023 Program to bring WWII Veterans back to Normandy for the 79th Anniversary in partnership with Delta Air Lines and the support of Michelin. The Best Defense Foundation will again bring WWII veterans to Normandy, France this year to commemorate the 79th anniversary of [...]
Those Who Serve: History comes to life at Dysart High School
Those Who Serve: History comes to life at Dysart High School Two World War II veterans captivated students with first-hand stories of the second Great War. EL MIRAGE, Ariz. — In an auditorium at Dysart High School, history came alive Friday. Two World War II Veterans stopped by the school to share stories of the past and [...]
Donnie Edwards // National Quarterbacks Club Legacy Award Recipient
Donnie Edwards // National Quarterbacks Club Legacy Award Recipient On February 24, former NFL linebacker was awarded the Legacy Award from the National Quarterback Club in Phoenix, Arizona. The award highlighted his continued work with veterans through the Best Defense Foundation providing WWII veterans the opportunity to return to their battlefields, assisting special forces operators transitioning [...]
2022 WWII Veterans In Memoriam
2022 WWII Veterans In Memoriam
What Is The Stronghold Transition Program?
What Is The Stronghold Transition Program? In September 2022, the Best Defense Foundation hosted its second Stronghold Transition Program. Special forces operators, both active and newly transitioned, came together on a secluded ranch in Utah. Here, they bonded as brothers and renewed their sense of purpose. Working with mental health experts, the veterans focused on healing [...]