WWII veterans presented with badges to honour landings

(4 Jun 2004) 1. Bagpiper playing at opening of ceremony 2. Close of bagpiper 3. Wide of podium 4. SOUNDBITE: (French) Philippe Duron, Normandy Regional President: "Normandy, after the 6th of June 1994, has kept alive the memories of the most extraordinary military action of the 20th century. At the same time, our region wants to transform that event in a message of peace, of tolerance and friendship among peoples. Our veteran friends, heros of the D-Day and the battle of Normandy, we thank you and we wish you a good visit to our region, which 60 years later is still your home." 5. Tracking of veterans standing to attention 6. Veterans listening 7. Veteran receiving insignia 8. Various of veterans STORYLINE: A group of WWII veterans were honoured in the French city of Caen on Friday as part of events to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day. The city was the first in Europe to be liberated by the allies, as it stood right next to one of the beaches where troops first stormed ashore. More than 500 veterans were honoured for the courageous sacrifices they made during the landings. The province of Normandy paid tribute to those who liberated it by presenting them with an insignia to mark the 60th anniversary of the start of the second front. The vast majority of the elderly ex-servicemen who gathered in the garden of the Abbaye Aux Dames were British and were presented with the honours by Philippe Duron, president of the Regional Council of Normandy. The 60th anniversary badge, which was pinned to the former servicemen's blazers, depicts Operation Overlord, with the Normandy coast, the German line of defence, paratroopers, bombers in the sky and Allied Navy boats at sea. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...