LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Thursday's featured program at the Kentucky Theatre is a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day and a salute to the Greatest Generation.
"It changed the world, and for so many Americans, D-day is still very personal," Mayor Linda Gorton said.
Success for the Allied Forces marked a pivotal point in World War II but it also came at an enormous cost, as 4,414 Allied Troops were killed that day, including 2,501 Americans.
"Perhaps you lost a friend or a close relative on those beaches," Gorton noted.
Meanwhile, there's a strong connection between Lexington and Deauville through the Sister Cities Commission.
"One of our friends from Deauville who was here several months ago actually helped us get this ceremony started. She researched and found eight soldiers that were buried over there from Lexington," Kay Sargent, Executive Director of the Lexington Sister Cities Commission, said.
Those parts of the Lexington Deauville Exchange Program played a major role in the commemoration. They introduced each of the eight fallen soldiers, and as a tribute, family members of each fallen soldier received proclamations from Mayor Gorton.
UK President, Dr. Eli Capilouto also spoke at the ceremony along with U.S. Representative Andy Barr from Kentucky's 6th Congressional District. Barr looked back on the values defended on June 6, 1944.
"Let us remember the enduring legacy of the Normandy Invasion. The success of D-Day was not just a military victory, it was a triumph of the human spirit."
And, as Barr added, "unparalleled courage and determination."
