Obama Honors D-Day Veterans on 70th Anniversary
U.S. President Barack Obama paid tribute to World War II veterans at a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the *D-Day invasion. The cemeterywhere the ceremony was held was near the beaches where more than 160,000 Allied troops launched the massive assault on a shoreline heavilyfortified by German forces. Though about 4,500 died that day, Allied forces ultimately defeated the Nazis throughout Europe. The leaders of eighteen countries and thousands of veterans took part in the ceremony.
In his speech, Obama told the stories of Americans who fought their way into Normandy on June 6, 1944 and he praised the veterans who took part in D-Day for changing the course of human history. In addition to those who fought in Normandy, Obama praised the massive machinery that bolstered the D-Day invasion–some 5,000 ships and landing craft, about 11,000 planes and 30,000 vehicles, the largest armada in history.
For some time after 1944, D-Day had not had the resonance it has had in recent decades, partly because many veterans were reluctant to talk about their brutal experiences. Obama said, “Whenever the world makes youcynical, stop and think of these men.” D-Day has become a moment of national consecration. Soon, the last veterans of D-Day and World War II will be gone, but their spirit can live on.
歐巴馬於諾曼地登陸七十週年向老兵致敬
美國總統歐巴馬於諾曼地登陸七十週年紀念典禮向參與第二次世界大戰的退役軍人致敬。舉辦典禮的公墓座落於海灘附近，當時有超過十六萬名的盟軍部隊在此大規模展開襲擊德軍海岸線上的重裝堡壘。儘管約有四千五百名士兵在那一天陣亡，不過盟軍的武力最終擊潰遍布歐洲的納粹勢力。共有來自十八國的領袖和數千名老兵參加紀念典禮。
在歐巴馬的演說中，他訴說了美軍在一九四四年六月六日前往攻占諾曼地的故事，並且讚揚參與登陸行動的老兵改寫了人類的歷史。除了在諾曼地參戰的老兵，歐巴馬也稱頌支援登陸入侵行動的強大後援：約五千艘船艦及登陸艇，約一萬一千架次飛機和三萬輛運載車，是史上規模最大的艦隊。
一九四四年之後的一段時間，登陸行動並未獲得如近代享有的共鳴，部分的原因是許多退伍軍人不願意提起這段殘酷的往事。歐巴馬說：「無論何時這世界讓你感覺到憤世嫉俗，停下來並想想這些人。」登陸行動已經成為全國性的慶祝儀式。很快地，最後一批參與登陸行動和第二次世界大戰的老兵將會辭世，但他們的精神會繼續延續下去。
《Vocabulary》
1. veteran n. 退伍軍人
2. cemetery n. 公墓
3. troop n. 部隊
4. assault n. 襲擊；攻占
5. fortify v. 構築堡壘
6. bolster v. 援助
7. armada n. 艦隊
8. resonance n. 共鳴
9. cynical adj. 憤世嫉俗的；懷疑人間有真誠善意的
10. consecration n. 神聖化；祝聖（儀式）
*D-Day（D日）在軍事術語中經常作為表示一次作戰或行動發起日當天。迄今為止，最著名的D日是一九四四年六月六日：諾曼第登陸戰役開打之日，即同盟國開始反攻在第二次世界大戰中被納粹德國占領的歐洲大陸區域。
資料來源：
http://www.voanews.com/content/world-leaders-veterans-in-france-for-70th-anniversary-of-d-day/1930883.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/06/05/obama-d-day-roosevelt-carter-reagan-bush-clinton/9967199/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/06/05/obama-d-day-speech-omaha-beach-normandy/10055061/
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