On the final full day, veterans returned to Normandy American Cemetery for an 8:45 a.m. flag-raising ceremony held before the grounds opened to the public. The moment was quiet and somber as veterans Fred Nungesser, Keith Lancaster, Hibby Margol, and Calvin Shiner helped raise the flag. 

Afterward, the group traveled to Omaha Beach for lunch, where Ed Sandy stepped onto the sand for the first time since D-Day 82 years ago. On June 6, 1944, Ed served as a gunner aboard LCF-3, a Landing Craft Flak positioned just offshore, helping defend incoming forces with anti-aircraft fire. In the weeks that followed, his vessel supported rescue and transport operations along the Normandy coast. 

Upon returning to the hotel, Delta Airport Customer Service team members from Paris and Madrid transformed the space into an airport-style check-in experience, complete with bag drop and boarding pass printing, easing the process ahead of the special charter flight departing from Deauville.  

The next morning, the veterans enjoyed a final breakfast with students and team members from Delta, Best Defense Foundation and Michelin, many signing their autograph on booklets and keepsakes. Before the veterans boarded the aircraft from the Deauville airport, French schoolchildren sang “Amazing Grace” and “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn. 

While this year's program has come to an end, Delta will continue to foster connections between veterans and future generations through initiatives like the WWII Ambassador Program, where employees are paired with veterans through our partnership with tablet company GrandPad. 

Upon arrival in the U.S., more than 50 Delta employees from the Veterans Business Resource Group and In-Flight Service, in partnership with the Delta Sky Club team, volunteered their time to assist veterans, caregivers, rovers and medical staff during connections to their final destinations. 

For some veterans, the program became deeply personal as they revisited places tied to their wartime experiences. Army veteran Bob Crecco took a detour back to Omaha Beach on Monday, returning to the exact spot where his landing craft came ashore on June 7, 1944. 

Local WWII historian and tour guide Florent Plana helped bring Bob’s memories into focus, identifying both the location where he had landed and the site — four miles away — where his division had originally been scheduled to arrive. A French family who now lives on the land where Bob came ashore welcomed him into their home for coffee, as Florent shared maps tracing his precise movements that day. 

Slideshow

Normandy legacy flight 2026: Bob Crecco Revisits Omaha Beach

Later, Bob visited the 2nd Infantry Division Monument on Omaha Beach, where he paused to honor his fallen comrades. Reflecting on the experience over breakfast with team members, he spoke with quiet gratitude, saying he was “very glad to get to return.” 

Following an eventful D-Day, the celebrations continued on June 7. To kick off the day, Delta employee Anna Katherine Daley took to the historic streets of Caen to run the Marathon de Liberte 10K, a tribute to the events of D-Day with 30,000 participants and 70 nationalities represented, honoring the legacy of service and global connection that aligns with Delta’s mission to bring people and communities together across the world.  

June 6 marked the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings along the Normandy coast during World War II. At approximately 6:30 a.m. — the same time as the first wave — members of the Delta team, Normandy Region and Freedom Prize students gathered for a Native American ceremony honoring D-Day veteran Charles Norman Shay, a medic on that fateful day. Shay, who passed away last December, continues to be remembered for the many lives he saved through his service. 

At 11 a.m., veterans were recognized during a ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery. Established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944, it was the first American cemetery on Western European soil during the war. Today, it is the final resting place for about 9,400 U.S. service members, most of whom died during the D-Day landings and subsequent operations. The Walls of the Missing bear the names of roughly 1,600 individuals whose remains were never recovered. 

The ceremony featured remarks from U.S. and French leaders, including U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. In a poignant moment, 107-year-old Navy D-Day veteran Arthur Rose read a letter he had written before the invasion, reflecting on the uncertainty ahead: “It wasn’t fear and it wasn’t excitement…just a funny feeling— nervousness and expectancy, wondering what was going to happen next.” 

On June 6, 1944, Rose was positioned offshore at Omaha Beach, commanding a fleet of 36 vessels responsible for delivering critical supplies to Army forces. His leadership ensured the steady flow of ammunition and equipment needed to sustain the fight, exemplifying the vital yet often unseen role of naval logistics. 

Following the commemoration, veterans and students traveled to the town of Carentan, a key objective in the days after D-Day, for a parade and commemoration with citizens and visitors. Located between Utah and Omaha beaches, Carentan was critical to linking the Allied beachheads and establishing a continuous front. The town was liberated on June 12, 1944, after several days of intense fighting led primarily by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division. Some of the veterans present had taken part in these efforts, making the visit especially meaningful as they returned to a place where they once fought. The streets were packed with people, eager to shake hands or even just get a glimpse of those who had helped to liberate their town and country. 

The day concluded with a renewed sense of gratitude and reflection, honoring the courage, sacrifice and enduring legacy of those who helped secure freedom in Normandy. 

Veterans from past programs who were unable to travel this year still marked D-Day from afar, thanks to meaningful visits from Delta employee caregivers, Veterans Business Resource Group (VBRG) members and participants in Delta’s WWII Ambassador Program. 

In the spirit of “no one left behind,” caregivers formerly assigned to each veteran made special visits on D-Day to ensure they were not alone and felt recognized for their service. 

Across the United States, Delta employees and VBRG members personally connected with these veterans, honoring and celebrating them on this historic day—even from miles away. 

Surrounded by artifacts of the very battles they once fought, the World War II veterans spent part of the day at the Overlord Museum in Normandy, walking through exhibits that bring the story of D-Day and the liberation of Europe to life. For the veterans, the visit was both reflective and deeply personal — seeing history preserved not just in displays, but in the emotion of people still grateful for the sacrifices made more than eight decades ago. 

Later, the group of centenarians went for an exciting ride through the Normandy countryside in restored World War II–era jeeps. Veteran Wally King, a P-51 pilot who specialized in low-flying attacks on ground targets during the war, opted for the unique experience of riding along in a Dodge Weapons Carrier — complete with a mounted machine gun and open top — giving him a chance to speed through the winding streets near Omaha Beach.  

To cap off the day, Wally, fellow veteran George Mullins and the family of the late “Papa Jake” Larson attended a sold-out screening of Why We Dream, a documentary that chronicles World War II veterans’ journeys back to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024. As the film ended, the veterans received a standing ovation, followed by a heartfelt meet-and-greet, where movie-goers thanked the veterans for both their service and their stories.  

Near the end of the session, a Normandy resident now in his late 80s shared a deeply personal memory from the war. Orphaned amid the bombing and destruction, he recounted how George Mullins took him in and helped reunite him with his extended family. It was a quiet act of selflessness during a horrific time — and a powerful reminder of the humanity U.S. soldiers brought with them to France. 

Stories like his help explain why the people of Normandy continue to honor and appreciate these veterans so profoundly. Beyond the battles, it was compassion, courage and kindness that left a lasting imprint — one still felt across Normandy and throughout Europe today. 

Why We Dream, which was directed by Meredith Danluck and produced by Delta’s Window Seat Studios with Vice Media’s Pulse Films, can be streamed on the CNN app. 

The veterans heard the cheers of more than 1,000 students from the Lycee Malherbe—a local high school in Caen, France—even before the buses carrying the 27 World War II heroes pulled into the courtyard. 

Marking the second full day on the ground in the Normandy region, the veterans spent a full morning with the students, sharing their experiences during the war, highlights of their lives since and messages of the importance of preserving democracy and freedom. 

Reflecting on his time in Normandy, veteran Wally King said, “When you realize the sacrifice and the cost of what happened here, did we learn anything from it? It’s up to the next generation to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.” 

Shortly after their visit to the school, the veterans got a rockstar’s treatment at Normandy’s Freedom Prize ceremony where they were brought on stage to a standing ovation by more than 4,000 students from across the region who were in attendance. Now in its 8th year, the Freedom Prize seeks to to inspire young people around the world to defend and promote freedom and pass along messages from those who fought for it. 

Students from Dutchtown High School, Atlanta International School, Clayton County High School and Lexington, Kent. high schools (Lexington is the sister city of Deauville, France) were among those who participated in this year’s Freedom Prize selection. 

A hero’s welcome for WWII veterans as they land again in Normandy, France 

Delta flight 9994, carrying 27 World War II veterans, touched down midday Wednesday at the Deauville–Normandy Airport (DOL) after the 8-hour transatlantic journey that included a bird’s eye view of Omaha Beach just prior to landing. 

Upon their arrival, the World War II veterans were welcomed on the tarmac by First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron, the U.S. Ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, local dignitaries and scores of children and residents who came out to the airport for the special occasion.  

U.S. servicemembers from across American bases joined their French counterparts as well, saluting the veterans as they were escorted to the standing-room-only terminal building. 

First Lady Macron, Delta’s own Virginie Durr and several others delivered moving remarks, thanking the veterans for their courage and sacrifice 82 years ago, while also acknowledging the importance of preserving the legacy of the 27 heroes — nearly all centenarians.  One of the highlights of the program was when three veterans were bestowed the French Legion of Honor, France's highest honor — S1C Ed Sandy, Lt. Arthur Rose and PFC Edwin Albright.

“We are so glad to have you in Normandy. I would say make yourself at home, but you are already home,” said the Bertrand Deniaud, V.P. of the Normandy Region.

Alan Kinder, who made his first Normandy Legacy Flight trip this year, remarked not only about the importance of passing on his experience to the next generation, but also shared his personal history flying Delta, recalling trips he took with the airline dating back to the 1950s when it was a small regional carrier. 

After disembarking from their buses and going through the TSA security checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the WWII veterans were greeted by rousing applause from onlookers and performances from The Dutchtown High School Band, joining for the fourth year in a row. The veterans joined the band for a parade through Concourse F, with customers and airport employees cheering them on and reaching out to shake the hands of these real-life heroes. 

Slideshow

Normandy legacy flight 2026: Departure from ATL

Following a visit from the Delta Honor Guard and a special water cannon salute, DL9994 to Deauville, Normandy departed from ATL at 10pm with veterans, students, Delta customers and partners in tow, complete with an all-veteran pilot crew and tenured flight attendants with a passion for the mission. 

With all the veterans settled into their Delta One seats, the night began with a toast to the men’s service, sacrifice and to the journey ahead. Next stop, Normandy!