U.S. Department of Defense

06/09/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/10/2025 18:11

Hegseth Commemorates 81st Anniversary of D-Day in France

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended events to mark the 81st anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, delivering a speech at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer and working out with troops assigned to the U.S. Army 75th Ranger Regiment.

Commemorating Heroes
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers remarks at Normandy American Cemetery, France, June 6, 2025.
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp
Download: Full Size (1.31 MB)
Credit: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza
VIRIN: 250606-D-PM193-2257K
Hat Decoration
A World War II veteran holds a hat during a ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025.
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp
Download: Full Size (3.22 MB)
Credit: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza, DOD
VIRIN: 250606-D-PM193-2431
Normandy Veterans
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meets with World War II veterans at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2025.
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp
Download: Full Size (3.85 MB)
Credit: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza, DOD
VIRIN: 250606-D-PM193-2722

The secretary participated in physical training with 75th Ranger Regiment soldiers on Omaha Beach, then met with veterans and their families at the cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.

Beach Rescue
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth trains with troops assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, June 6, 2025.
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp
Download: Full Size (1.35 MB)
Credit: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza, DOD
VIRIN: 250606-D-PM193-1330
Rise Up
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth participates in a physical training session with troops assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, June 6, 2025.
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp
Download: Full Size (2.9 MB)
Credit: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza, DOD
VIRIN: 250606-D-PM193-1155
Stretch Run
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth trains with troops assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, June 6, 2025.
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp
Download: Full Size (3.28 MB)
Credit: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza, DOD
VIRIN: 250606-D-PM193-1325

Commonly referred to as D-Day, the 1944 invasion - which would prove to be the turning point in the European theater and ultimately lead to the Allies' victory on the Western Front - saw roughly 160,000 troops crossing the English Channel, with more than 2 million Allied troops in France just three months later.

Acknowledging a small group of surviving D-Day veterans at the ceremony, Hegseth spoke of that generation's fortitude.

"These men - boys, then - were part of those landing forces; they embody the warrior ethos," he said, adding that the generation included "hard men forged for hard times."

{{slideNumber}}/{{numSlides}} - {{slideCaption}}
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp
Download: Full Size ({{filesize}})
Credit: {{photographer}}
VIRIN: {{virin}}
{{slideNumber}} of {{numSlides}}

{{slideNumber}}/{{numSlides}} {{slideTitle}} - {{slideCaption}}

{{slideInfo.slideNumber}}/{{numSlides}} {{slideInfo.slideTitle}} - {{slideInfo.slideCaption}}

In his remarks during the International D-Day Remembrance Ceremony at Utah Beach, Hegseth said:

What motivates a man to do such a thing? I think it's love. Not just love for your country, or love for a cause, but love for one another, which, when you ask those men, they remember the man on the right and on their left. They remember the nurse that cared for them. They remember those that rest here who we honor today, who we will never forget."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Speech:Remarks by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the International D-Day Remembrance Ceremony at Utah Beach (As Delivered)
News:Hegseth Commemorates D-Day With Speech at Normandy Cemetery
Video:Hegseth Commemorates D-Day in France
Speech:Remarks by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the 81st D-Day Landings Anniversary in Normandy American Cemetery (As Delivered)
Spotlight:Commemorating World War II
Experience:Remembering D-Day
U.S. Department of Defense published this content on June 09, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 11, 2025 at 00:11 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at support@pubt.io