Video. D-Day veterans return to Normandy to honour the fallen 81 years on

Now mostly centenarians, they’ve come with a message they once risked everything for: freedom must be remembered and defended.

Among them is 101-year-old Wally King, paying tribute to the fallen at the Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach.

Fewer than two dozen veterans made the journey this year, embraced by crowds thanking them with cries of “Merci!”.

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