Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, 80 years ago this month, America and our allies embarked on a mission that would change the course of history. We stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Along with our allies, we formed the largest armada in world history, with more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft, with the goal of liberating Nazi-occupied Europe and defending the free world. To our country's eternal gratitude, these brave soldiers succeeded in their mission.

On the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, I joined a bipartisan Senate delegation to Normandy to honor the Americans--among them, Tennesseans--who put their lives on the line in the name of freedom.

Of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II, less than 1 percent are still with us today. So it was a special honor to meet with some of those brave heroes who served, and we sat together as we commemorated this day.

Among them was Tennessee native Cletis Bailey, who fought to liberate Europe while serving in the 84th Infantry Division. Two years ago, at the age of 96, Mr. Bailey received a Bronze Star for fighting at the Battle of the Bulge. That was 76 years after his service had come to an end.

Like so many Americans who served in World War II, Mr. Bailey was gracious and humble about the incredible sacrifices that he made to defend the country. It was a powerful reminder that the ``greatest generation'' viewed their service to our country, even through the horrors of war, as their duty as American citizens.

But during the memorial ceremonies, these heroes received the recognition they deserve in front of a crowd of 10,000 people from all over the world. It was so moving to see French President Macron recognize 11 U.S. veterans with the Legion of Honor--France's highest distinction--for their role in helping to free France from Nazi oppression.

While we thanked the surviving D-Day veterans for their service, our delegation also honored the brave soldiers who never returned home to America. In Normandy, there is no greater symbol of their sacrifice than the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, which holds the graves of 9,387 American war dead. Many of these warriors fell just hundreds of feet away from the cemetery grounds right there on Omaha Beach--the site of the fiercest fighting on D-Day, where U.S. forces suffered approximately 2,400 casualties.

While many markers of the landings have long since disappeared, along the coastline, you will still see fortifications which Nazi forces used to rain machine gun fire on American soldiers who stormed the beaches to free a continent.

In so many ways, Normandy is a reminder that America is the home of the free because of the brave. And while we can never repay their sacrifices, we must ensure that no veteran is ever left behind-- especially when it comes to the benefits and the quality care they deserve.

In the Senate, I have championed legislation to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs' caregiver program and protect veterans' personal information. Thankfully, both of these bills have become law, but there is much more that needs to be done to honor their service. That is why I introduced the Veterans Health Care Freedom Act, which would expand healthcare options for veterans by allowing them to seek care in their local communities instead of VA facilities that are often far away from their homes.

These efforts will not only benefit our Nation's veterans but also the more than 1.2 million Active-Duty troops when their service comes to an end. During the delegation trip, I was pleased to meet many of these brave warriors, including members of Fort Campbell's 101st Airborne Division who live in Tennessee.

On D-Day, the 101st was crucial to the Allies' victory, parachuting into France behind enemy lines to clear a path for the infantry divisions that were storming the beaches. Eighty years later, the current members of the 101st honored this incredible legacy, conducting an air assault drill in Carentan, a French town liberated by the 101st.

The outpouring of support for our veterans and servicemembers was a powerful reminder of General Eisenhower's words to the 175,000-strong expeditionary force on the eve of the D-Day landings: that--then and now--``the hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with'' America and our Armed Forces.

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