In Pics | France's last surviving D-Day commando attends anniversary celebrations alongside Macron
Leon Gautier with French President Macron
100-year-old Leon Gautier is the last surviving member of the French commandos who stormed the Normandy beaches to drive out the Nazi forces in 1944. He attended D-Day celebrations on Tuesday, June 6 in Colleville-Montgomery, France. French President Emmanuel Macron also attended the event.
Passing out parade
Gautier presented a student marine commando with his green beret at a passing out parade at Colleville-Montgomery. The young marine knelt down on one knee to allow Gautier to straighten his beret.
Not enough bullets left
Recalling the incident of the D-Day, Gautier said "by the end of the day, I didn’t have many bullets left".
Leon Gautier poses for a photo
Leon Gautier posed for a photo along with others present as a tribute to the 177 French members of the "Commando Kieffer" Fusiliers Marines commando unit. Gautier was one of 177 French green berets under the command of Captain Philippe Kieffer who took part in the Normandy landings. More than 150,000 allied troops stormed the Normandy beaches defended by Hitler's troops in 1944. The commandos invaded France to drive out the Nazi forces.
Commemorating the 79th anniversary
US soldiers of 29 Division CA 116th Regiment Bedford, Virginia, and history enthusiasts drove at Omaha Beach, in Vierville-sur-Mer, on the Normandy coast to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the D-Day.
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