The men who took part in the Normandy landings, one of the greatest battles against Nazism, on June 6, 1944, (those who survive) are now in their 90s or 100s.
Today their hands may be shaking, their voices hoarse, they may be walking with the help of a wheelchair, but 75 years ago they were young men, many of them teenagers, strong and ready to go to war.
Months of hard training had passed.
Were they afraid? Of course. Many in the Allied forces had never seen combat before. But they were determined to do their duty properly and it was also of the utmost importance to them not to let down their little buddy who was fighting behind them.
The Associated Press photographed survivors who fought in the Normandy landings from the United States, Great Britain, Canada and Germany, who returned to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of the landing.
For some it is the first time since the battle that they have returned to the area, others have revisited and walked the sandy beaches that had been chosen for the landing. Yet in both cases they will forever remember the turbulent waters on June 6, '44 pushing the warships, the lights and noise of the countless bullets spent on that fateful day, and say a prayer for those who did not make it.
