World War II veterans gather on Long Island to mark 80 years since D-Day. Here's how they were honored.
BETHPAGE, N.Y. -- Veterans were honored on Long Island on Thursday to mark 80 years since D-Day, the start of the invasion against Nazi Germany that led to the end of World War II in Europe.
American and allied troops attacked German forces on the coast of northern France in the largest military seaborne operation ever attempted. In total, 150,000 allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy.
World War II veterans honored on Long Island
Leaders with the Museum of American Armor held a special ceremony to honor all D-Day veterans and the 4,400 allied soldiers who didn't make it home.
Veteran William DeGroat led the tolling of a memorial bell, marking the five landings at Normandy, but when the 101-year-old Wantagh man remembers back to the day eight decades ago, there are different sounds that come to mind -- sounds of war.
"I'm proud to be here. I'm proud to have done my job," he said.
"It's a day that we think about how fortunate we are that there were those who were willing to stand up," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
Robert Strange says his grandfather, United States Army Lt. Ernest George Hey, was one of them. He doesn't want his legacy erased.
"What the prior generations did for our country and the sacrifices, a lot of that's being forgotten," he said.
Historians say the efforts of these soldiers marked the start of the long campaign to liberate northwest Europe from the Nazis.
"You guys came and young people sacrificed their lives, a whole generation to save us," said Damien Laban, acting consul general of France in New York.
"The nation bonded together to fight evil. That's something we need to remember," said Jason Halloren, a trustee with the Museum of American Armor.
The average age of surviving D-Day soldiers is 100 years old. Those who spoke to CBS New York's John Dias say they'll continue to inspire younger generations for as long as they can.
As for Normandy invasion hero DeGroat, he wants Americans to remember "that they're living in the greatest country in the world."
