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POINTE DU HOC, France (CN) — President Joe Biden stood on Friday at the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument in Normandy, honoring the men who scaled 100-foot cliffs under fire 80 years ago, to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day and draw a comparison with the geopolitical situation today.
He hammered on the importance of democracy and standing up to aggression as he drew parallels between the Russia-Ukraine war and the fight against Nazi Germany in World War II.
“All they knew was time was of the essence,” Biden said, before briefly retelling the story of that day. “One thing comes to mind: My God, my God, how did they do it?”
On June 6, 1944 — as part of the D-Day invasion — 225 American Rangers disembarked on these shores. They scaled the cliffs under fire as cannons fired down at them. The mission was a success, but only 90 soldiers survived. The French erected the Point du Hoc monument to commemorate the operation, which along with other D-Day operations proved a turning point in the war.
“Once the landings were made and they were able to reinforce the beachheads, it was at that point, probably a matter of time before the Germans would be defeated,” Marc Gallicchio, a professor of history at Villanova University, told Courthouse News. “So, I mean, it has an enormous impact on the future of Europe.”
Cliffs frame the Pointe du Hoc against the backdrop of the English Channel, with a blue, unobstructed sky. It was breezy and salt was in the air. A pathway to the edge is lined with craters left when bombs fell during World War II, now covered in grass. The landscape has escaped much development. The surroundings are largely bare except for former bunkers, which now serve as lookout points where people take photos.
Biden began lightheartedly around 4:30 p.m., joking that he’d like to look more closely off the edge of the cliffs but would probably get in trouble with the Secret Service.
U.S. planes flew overhead as loud military marches played. Stage lighting and cameras drew a stark contrast to the barrenness of the storied landscape.
President Ronald Reagan chose the same spot as a backdrop for his famous speech on the 40th anniversary of D-Day — 40 years ago Thursday — that honored the “boys of Pointe du Hoc” to promote peace and strengthen relationships between the allies during the Cold War.
“It’s not an original thought, but commemorations always represent some sort of political decision,” Gallichio said. “People are making a choice about what they want to remember and then how they want to remember it.”
Biden’s speech centered on questions of democracy, unity and the importance of looking out for one another.
Private First Class John Wardell, born in 1925, was one of the roughly 150 people in attendance. He arrived in France on June 16, 1944, to serve with the Rangers at the Battle of Brest.
“Knowing that my buddies and I always looked out for each other, that’s why I came back,” Wardell wrote in a notebook about the war. It was this note that Biden highlighted in his speech.
“American democracy asks the hardest things — to believe in something bigger than ourselves,” Biden said.
He said the most natural instinct is to walk away, before he pivoted to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“Does anyone doubt that [the Rangers] would want America to stand up against Putin’s aggression today?” Biden said. “They fought to vanquish a hateful ideology … . Does anyone doubt that they wouldn’t vanquish a hateful ideology today?”
Biden said that Americans’ job is to protect freedom, defend democracy and fight aggression.
Hall Gardner, a professor of politics at The American University of Paris, said the Russia-Ukraine war is critical for Franco-U.S. relations.
“Now is their greatest challenge in the post-Cold War era: to defend Ukraine and prevent Russia from expanding even further, while concurrently seeking ways to approach Russian President Putin in the effort to achieve a decent peace that does not reek of capitulation,” Gardner told Courthouse News. “The danger is that the failure to achieve peace risks further escalation … if not major-power war.”
Biden concluded by saying “God Bless America” as he slowly put on his trademark aviator sunglasses, before he went to greet the Army Rangers of today.
It feels worlds away from a major capital, but the effects of the commemorations are even sending ripples through Paris. Jackie Gregoire works in a tobacco café near the Porte Maillot, in the city’s 17th arrondissement. Friday morning, she practically swooned praising the importance of commemorating D-Day. She had been watching the events on TV.
“I don’t think we could thank everyone for what they did if we had an eternity,” she told Courthouse News. “Everyone was represented. I’m very nostalgic for the past.”
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