Normandy today: the American imprint of D-Day is deep

(NEXSTAR) – The American footprint remains deeply rooted throughout Normandy. American flags line the streets, representing the support and commitment to the Allied cause during World War II that continues today.

“Every American leaves here a little prouder, and every foreigner leaves here (with) a little more respect for America,” Normandy American Cemetery Superintendent Scott Desjardins said.

Today, thousands of soldiers who died on the Normandy coast are buried in the Normandy American Cemetery.

“All those guys that are buried there, it was a sacrifice for all of us here in this country,” said the daughter of Pvt. Roy Talhelm, Donna Allen said.

Strategic planning for D-Day began in 1943, when President Frankin Roosevelt and his generals were aboard the USS Iowa en route to the Tehran Conference.

It was there that the Western Allies committed to launching the D-Day invasion, codenamed “Operation Overlord.” On June 5, 1944, thousands of ships and nearly 200,000 soldiers began the journey to Normandy, in what would be the largest air, land and naval operation in the history of warfare.

By June 30, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and supplies had landed on the Normandy coast. The fighting of the Allied forces on the Western Front and Russian forces on the Eastern Front led to the defeat of the German Nazi forces.