President Joe Biden speaks with a veteran during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
WASHINGTON – Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees, joined a bipartisan Senate delegation traveling to Normandy, France to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion by Allied forces during World War II.
“I am honored to attend the 80th anniversary of D-Day and pay tribute to those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice on the beaches of Normandy, changing the course of history,” said Hirono. “As we honor the legacy of the brave American and Allied soldiers who fought to defeat the tyranny of Nazism, may we continue working to protect the freedoms they fought to defend.”
The delegation arrived in Normandy on June 6 and joined American and French leaders and veterans at a ceremony at the American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer. The delegation met with World War II veterans and paid their respects at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Later that day, members of the delegation joined heads of state rep-resenting Allied partners at an inter-national ceremony at Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
On June 9, the delegation watched as hundreds of U.S. servicemembers stationed in Europe, and from U.S.-based units with historical links to D-Day, joined servicemembers civilians from all over Europe participating in a commemorative parachute jump. While in France, the delegation also met with American diplomatic and military leadership stationed in Europe.
In addition to Hirono, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Katie Britt (R-Alaska), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) also traveled to Normandy.
Hirono has consistently worked to support veterans in Hawaii and across the country. In May, she introduced the Parity for Native Hawaiian Veterans Act, legislation to improve the affordability of health care services for Native Hawaiian veterans. Among other things, the bill would eliminate copays for Native Hawaiian veterans for care received through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and would enable Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems to seek direct reimbursement from the VA for care provided to Native Hawaiian veterans.
In April, Hirono introduced the Honoring Veterans’ Legacies and Burial Benefits Enhancements Act to improve memorialization and burial benefits for veterans and their families.
In November 2023, President Biden signed into law bipartisan legislation led by Hirono. The Korean American VALOR (Vietnam Allies Long Overdue for Relief) Act allows veterans who served in the armed forces of the Republic of Korea during the Vietnam War, and have since become naturalized U.S. citizens, to become eligible for healthcare services through the VA.