President Barack Obama speaks to more than 10,000 attendees at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-Sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2014, commemorating the memory of the fallen Soldiers who gave their lives 70 years ago fighting to liberate northwestern Europe. During the ceremony approximately 400 World War II veterans sat behind the two presidents and faced the crowd while listening to the speeches, almost all reacting with standing applause and emotion as they sat only miles from where they fought for their lives. The event was one of several commemorations of the 70th Anniversary of D-Day operations conducted June 6, 1944, by the Allies. Task Force Normandy, led by the 173rd Airborne Brigade, out of Vicenza, Italy, has organized 650 personnel from 20 U.S units and six nations, at the invitation of the French government, to participate in the events happening across the Normandy region.