(3 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deauville, France – 03 June 2024
1. Wide of veterans’ plane flying in towards runway
2. Mid of plane taxiing
3. Pan of children with flags walking towards plane to welcome veterans
4. Wide of veterans being helped out of plane with crowd at bottom of steps
5. Mid of veteran being helped down the stairs
6. Wide of French First Lady Brigitte Macron welcoming veteran
7. Close of US flag being waved as veterans come out of plane
8. Wide of veteran shaking hands with children from local schools
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Bob Gibson, 101, Utah Beach D-Day veteran:
“You wouldn’t believe what I’ve seen."
Reporter (English): Can you tell us anything?
Bob Gibson (English): "Terrible. Some of the young fellows never even made the beach. It was so bad that we had to run over them to get onto the beach. That’s how bad it was."
Reporter (English): "You still remember it strongly?"
Bob Gibson (English): "Do I, you better believe it, like it happened yesterday.
Reporter (English): "You were scared?"
Bob Gibson (English): "You wake up at night every once in a while too. It seems somebody’s shooting at you. But we were glad to do it. That was our job and we had to do it, right?”
10. Mid of US officer handing out medals to veterans
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Bob Gibson, 101, Utah Beach D-Day veteran:
“80 years! This will probably be my last one. I’m 101 years old, what do you expect?!”
12. Mid of veterans outside plane in wheelchairs
13. Pan of ‘Papa’ Jake Larson, Omaha Beach D-Day veteran, in wheelchair
14. SOUNDBITE (English) ‘Papa’ Jake Larson, Omaha Beach D-Day veteran:
“My buddy, Madison Rich, put his M1 rifle on my litter. In the morning, when he got up, he picked up his rifle from my litter where I was going to sleep and it fell in two. The rifle broke in two. A piece of shrapnel came down and hit the rifle and broke it in two. I am the luckiest man in the world.”
15. Wide of veterans posing for photo on tarmac
16. SOUNDBITE (English) ‘Papa’ Jake Larson, Omaha Beach D-Day veteran:
“I’m 101 without an ache or a pain in my body. How is that possible? Somebody up there likes me!”
17. Tracking shot of veteran bumping fists with army servicemen
18. Wide of veteran saluting and shaking hands with children
19. Wide of veterans being taken to terminal
20. Wide of veterans and people watching on
21. Tracking shot of veteran shaking hands with crowd
22. Wide of servicemen clapping
STORYLINE:
U.S. World War II veterans, many aged around 100 year-old, arrived on Monday at the Deauville-Normandy Airport onboard a special flight from Atlanta, a trip organized by nonprofit organization Best Defense Foundation.
They were greeted by France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron and top French officials.
Children from local schools held a big poster with the inscription “To our forever heroes: Thank you” and sang the French and U.S. national anthems.
“Welcome to France,” Brigitte Macron said, speaking in English, expressing her “deepest respect” and “deepest love” to the veterans.
The veterans will take part in parades, school visits and ceremonies — including the official June 6 commemoration of the landings by soldiers from across the United States, Britain, Canada and other Allied nations on five beaches.
The trip also includes high school and college students selected to escort the veterans and learn about their experiences.
Charter flights also took veterans from Atlanta to France in 2022 and 2023.
Some of the veterans spoke about their experiences.
He said he remembers it “like it happened yesterday."
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