Speech by Jacques Chirac in Arromanches
President of the French Republic
60th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings – Official Speeches
Speech delivered by Jacques Chirac in Arromanches on Sunday, 6 June 2004 during the International Ceremony of the Allied Landings in Normandy.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Landing Combatants,
Your Majesties,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Heads of State and Government,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, at this very special moment, gathered in the same emotion on these beaches of Normandy, history rises once again.
Here are the Nations and peoples, yesterday torn apart by the clash of arms, united in silence, memory, and contemplation.
Here are the combatants and enemies of yesterday, carried together by the same spirit, faithful to the memory of the men, the sacrifices, and the bloodshed.
Here is the wind of peace, reconciliation, and freedom blowing over a Europe finally reunified.
To you, legendary heroes of that dawn of June 6, 1944, reddened by death;
To you, children of the world thrown so young into the fire of war;
To you, admirable symbols of courage and dedication, of honor and nobility, of duty accomplished and supreme self-improvement;
To you, I say, on behalf of all French women and men, on behalf of all the Heads of State and Government gathered here, of all freedom-loving women and men, our recognition and pride, our gratitude and admiration.
I say that your fight obliges us. That your commitment is for us, for future generations, an example, a requirement, a duty. That there is no future without memory.
I say that the torch you have carried so high and so far, that of freedom and law, of dignity and respect for humanity, of justice and democracy, always lights our way.
France, whose spirit of Resistance General de Gaulle, leader of Free France, embodied from the very beginning, this France to which, in the midst of its greatest trials, he gave a voice, a will, and a hope, will never be forgotten.
Each of the white crosses erected silently in the Normandy countryside, each of these names engraved in the stone of remembrance, each of these brothers in arms fallen on the field of honor is forever in our hearts. In the hearts of all those who have faith in humanity and want to look with confidence to the future of humanity.
Ladies and gentlemen, sixty years ago, the soldiers of freedom disembarked from the sea to liberate the land of France under a deluge of iron and fire.
Many of them came from the United States of America. Under the leadership of General Eisenhower, they once again placed their ideals, their power, and their courage at the service of the liberation of our country, our continent, at the service of democracy. France will never forget what it owes to America, its friend and its ally forever. It measures, today as yesterday, all the strength, all the demands of this ancient bond made of friendship, shared values, trust, and mutual respect. It knows, like all the countries of Europe, how much the Atlantic Alliance, forged in adversity, remains, in the face of new threats, a fundamental element of our collective security.
These soldiers of freedom also came from the United Kingdom. A heroic nation that had long stood alone, united behind its royal family, behind the indomitable Winston Churchill. A nation that, as the last archipelago of freedom, knew how to welcome those who refused defeat and humiliation, those who carried the flame of hope.
They came from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They came from Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and Greece. They were Polish, Czech, and Slovak. They were young, full of audacity, driven by the same enthusiasm, the same ideal, the same love of their homeland, and a profound conviction in the righteousness of their fight that, beyond fear, made them consent to the supreme sacrifice.
These soldiers of freedom also came from France. For the SAS paratroopers and the men of Commando Kieffer, for the Free French, the moment was grave. It was exceptional. The hour of the great return had come, of light rising once again over the motherland, of clouds heavy with tears being dispersed by the sun. Everywhere across the country, the Resistance was at work, galvanized by this new hope. “The supreme battle is engaged!” declared General de Gaulle.
In the heart of darkness, all these freedom fighters suffered the same ordeal. This ordeal faced by their comrades in arms in Italy, in the Pacific, on all the seas of the globe. This ordeal also suffered on the Eastern Front by the heroic soldiers of the Red Army, who, in Moscow, Kursk, and Stalingrad, had paved the way and were advancing irresistibly.
On that immortal June 6, the spirit of the struggle had changed. Certainly, victory was still a long way off. The suffering would still be great. The journey to the end of the night would continue for a long time in the death camps.
But nothing, no madness could now hinder the march towards freedom, the march towards peace.“
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