Obama on D-Day: 'The Evil We Faced Had to Be Stopped'

COLLEVILLE, Normandy, June 6, 2009 — -- Marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, President Obama said the outcome of World War II and the course of the 20th century came down to the success of the Allied forces on the beaches at Normandy.

"It was unknowable then, but so much of the progress that would define the 20th century, on both sides of the Atlantic, came down to the battle for a slice of beach only six miles long and two miles wide," Obama said at a ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

On June 6, 1944, nine allied nations assembled over 150,000 troops for the invasion on the beach. German troops were waiting on the top of the cliffs and pinned them down. Nearly 4,500 allied troops died on the first day alone.

Obama said that single day changed the course of the war.

"Despite all the years of planning and preparation, despite the inspiration of our leaders, the skill of our generals, the strength of our firepower and the unyielding support from our home front, the outcome of the entire struggle would ultimately rest on the success of one day in June," Obama said.

Honoring those who landed on the nearby beaches 65 years ago today, Obama heralded their "simple sense of duty" to their nation.

"A duty sustained by the same ideals for which their countrymen had fought and bled for over two centuries. That is the story of Normandy -- but also the story of America," he said.

Obama said this day is held in such reverence and regard because of the "sheer improbability" of the Allied victory and the "size of the odds that weighed against success.

The president spoke about the sense of unity that World War II forged, with soldiers of different beliefs, religions and culture fighting alongside one another against a common enemy.

"In such a world, it is rare for a struggle to emerge that speaks to something universal about humanity. The Second World War did that," he said. "Whatever God we prayed to, whatever our differences, we knew that the evil we faced had to be stopped."