Watch: Trump Recites Moving Prayer at Large D-Day Ceremony in England
President Donald Trump and other leaders from around the world gathered together on Wednesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
During the ceremony in Portsmouth, on the south coast of England, the president took the stage to read an excerpt from a prayer President Franklin D. Roosevelt recited over the radio on the day of the invasion.
“Almighty God,” Trump read, “Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
“They will need Thy blessings,” he continued. “For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
“Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, the heroic servants into thy Kingdom. And, o Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee, faith in our sons, faith in each other, and faith in our united crusade. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.”
In addition to the ceremony, Trump also commemorated the day with a post on Twitter honoring those who fought as “heroic and honorable patriots who gave their all for the cause of freedom during some of history’s darkest hours.”
As we approach the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, we proudly commemorate those heroic and honorable patriots who gave their all for the cause of freedom during some of history’s darkest hours. #DDay75 https://t.co/hjTkdM7VcN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2019
About 300 D-Day veterans, aged 91-101, were in attendance at the ceremony, thanks to the Royal British Legion, according to Fox News.
The commemorations are scheduled to go into Thursday, when the veterans will return to the landing beaches overnight, Fox reported.
In addition to Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II also spoke during the Wednesday ceremony.
The queen used her time to salute the soldiers engaged in battle on D-Day and referred to them as “resilient.”
“Many of them would never return and the heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten,” she said.
Leaders from other countries were in attendance for the ceremony to represent the countries that fought alongside the United States and Britain during D-Day.
Those countries included Australia, Canada, Poland, Norway, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Slovakia, Greece, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel even showed up at the ceremony representing the country the United States, Britain, and these other countries fought on the beaches of Normandy.
On Thursday, ceremonies will be held in France in military cemeteries near the Normandy beaches, Fox reported.
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