American war veteran, Harold Terrens, has travelled back to Normandy for one special reason: to marry his fiancé, 80 years after he first step foot on the beach during the D-Day landing.
“I’ve come to pay my respects to the 9,634 buddies of mine that are buried here,” he says.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: A million people have gathered on France’s Normandy coast to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
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“(But) I’ve really come to invite them to my wedding this Saturday”, the 100-year-old said.
Harold is a member of the “Greatest Generation”, and is a D-Day veteran.
After surviving the war, he returned to New York to work a long career as a salesman, and raise a family with his first wife.
But at an age where most people are thinking about attending funerals, Terrens is getting married.
His bride, Jeanne, is 96-years-old and both have children, grand children and great-grandchildren of their own.
Visiting the American Memorial at Omaha Beach this week, where they were wheeled around by US servicemen, the centenarian says he is still living his life to the fullest.
So much so, he will walk down the aisle in his beloved France this weekend. Not far, from his mates, who never made it home.
“War is disgusting, and I am an advocate for democracy, and I’ll go anywhere in the world at my own expense to help preserve peace,” he said.
“If you’ve ever been to Normandy and seen the headless bodies and arms and legs everywhere, you’ll understand.”
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