OMAHA BEACH, France: Eighty-one years after the D-Day landings, a small group of World War II veterans has returned to the beaches of Normandy, France. Most are over 100 years old now, but they came back with the same message they fought for during the war: freedom must always be protected.

Nearly two dozen veterans who served in Europe and the Pacific are visiting Normandy to honor their fallen comrades. They are being warmly welcomed, especially by local French families and schoolchildren. The June 6, 1944, D-Day landings marked the start of the Allied liberation of France, and Normandy was the first part of mainland Europe to be freed.

The beaches, once filled with violence and death, are now places of remembrance. "Bloody Omaha," one of the hardest-fought beaches, is significant. The sacrifice of the Allied soldiers helped build lasting friendships between Europe, the U.S., and Canada.

French families treasure stories of D-Day, passing them down through generations. Veterans are greeted with hugs, photos, autographs, and the words "Merci!" from grateful locals. Even the youngest children are excited to meet them. For example, 101-year-old Arlester Brown amazed French schoolchildren by telling them his age. During the war, as a Black soldier in a segregated U.S. Army, he served in a laundry unit that followed Allied troops through Europe.

Jack Stowe, now 98, joined the Navy at just 15 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He still receives kind letters from French children he met on past visits. "The people here are so good to us," he said. "They want their kids to know us and hear our stories. These stories will live on."

At the Normandy American Cemetery, where nearly 9,400 U.S. soldiers are buried, visitors rub beach sand into the engraved names on the white gravestones so they're easier to read. Veteran Wally King, 101, paid tribute at the grave of Henry Shurlds Jr., a fellow pilot who died in 1944. Although King didn't know him personally, he felt a strong connection. King himself was shot down and seriously burned on his final mission just weeks before the war ended.

King said many veterans stayed silent after the war. "They didn't talk about it with their families. In some ways, that's good—war is full of pain. But we must remember and honor the sacrifice."

Each year, fewer veterans are able to return. The Best Defense Foundation, which organizes these trips, brought 50 veterans last year for the 80th anniversary. This year, there are just 23. Among them is 104-year-old nurse Betty Huffman-Rosevear, the only woman in the group.

Also returning is 102-year-old Jake Larson, known as "Papa Jake" on TikTok. He landed on Omaha Beach in 1944 under heavy fire and survived. Now, with 1.2 million followers, he shares his story with the world.

"We are the lucky ones," Larson said. "They didn't make it home. We are their family now. It's our duty to honor them."

As WWII's survivors disappear, the responsibility is falling on the next generations that owe them the debt of freedom.

"This will probably be the last Normandy return when you see the condition of some of us old guys," King said. "I hope I'm wrong."