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American Morning

D-Day Anniversary

Aired June 06, 2004 - 09:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is also a significant story today. This was supposed to be the day that we would all focus on 60 years ago and the Allied invasion on the beaches of Normandy. Those events continue at this hour, and our Wolf Blitzer is there, standing by live in Normandy with more there.
Wolf, hello.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS": (NO AUDIO) ... set to begin here in Normandy at Arromanches.

This is where the French president, Jacques Chirac, is hosting several important world leaders, including of course, the U.S. President George W. Bush. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin. It's the first time the head of Russia will be participating in these D-day anniversaries. Perhaps even more significant, the German chancellor, Chancellor Schroeder, Gerhard Schroeder, this is the first time that Germany is participating in the 60th anniversary in these D- day anniversary celebrations, commemorations. As well the leaders of Greece and Poland, the Netherlands. About a dozen other countries will be participating as well.

A very moving ceremony coming up underscoring that this is a new Europe, a Europe very, very different than the Europe of 1944 and 1945. The Europe of June 6th, 1944, when the U.S., Britain, and the other allies stormed the beaches behind me, Omaha Beach in particular, and set the stage for the liberation of France and then the liberation of the rest of Europe.

They are now there on the podium. There will be speeches. There will be musical moments. There will be all sorts of commemorative events. This is almost the finale of what has been very long day of commemoration right now, a long day of commemoration underscoring how Europe has changed over these past 60 years. This is going to be a moving ceremony at Arromanches because it will also show that the allies of today were the enemies then.

Bill?

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, also with this passing of Ronald Reagan, how much is that playing a part of the ceremonies today?

BLITZER: It's playing a part. It's certainly on the minds of these world leaders. When the president spoke at the U.S./French commemoration earlier here at the Colleville American Military cemetery, he began his statement by recalling Ronald Reagan when he was here 20 years ago for the 40th anniversary of D-day. Many of the other world leaders, of course, remember Ronald Reagan, they remember his contributions and the steps leading to the end of the cold war, but they are not specifically singling out memories of Ronald Reagan here. This is a day when they want to remember the veterans, the young men who freed Europe, who changed the world on those days 60 years ago, and as a result they're not all talking about Ronald Reagan. But behind the scenes people are thinking of him, people are remembering him. President Bush openly praised him at the start of his speech here at the Colleville cemetery.

HEMMER: Wolf, you mentioned Gerhard Schroeder, the first German chancellor to attend D-day ceremonies. That is quite significant for the people on the European continent. Also today was Jacques Chirac shaking hands with President Bush. Has there been much talk about the disagreements regarding Iraq a year ago, and possibly also talk today about trying to get some sort of U.N. resolution passed regarding Iraq and the future of that new government?

BLITZER: Yes. There have been serious strains and there still are serious strains in the relationship between the United States on the one hand and France and Germany and Russia on the other hand, all members of the U.N. Security Council, all working right now to try to forge some new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq.

When I spoke earlier today with the secretary of state, Colin Powell, he suggested a few more days, they would work out all the remaining differences. He suggested there weren't any real serious differences right now, but they are working, tweaking the language, if you will. There will be a date certain in that resolution, the end of 2005, when this stage of the U.S.-led military involvement in Iraq will be terminated. He made it clear, Bill, that Germany and France are making it clear to the United States that even if this U.N. Security Council resolution is passed, as presumably it will be in the coming days, France and Germany, for example, have no intention of participating militarily on the ground in Iraq.

HEMMER: And these men are all going to spend a significant amount of time, starting in Normandy, then going to the G8 summit in Sea Island, in Georgia, then with the funeral procession in Washington, D.C. later in the week, do you anticipate some sort of resolution or some sort of common ground coming out of these meetings by the end of let's say this coming week, on Thursday or Friday? Or is that too premature, Wolf?

BLITZER: I think it's a little premature. I think that they might have the U.N. Security Council resolution, the language of that approved by the end of the week. That's certainly what U.S. anticipates. That's basically what secretary Powell told me earlier today. But there still will be plenty of work to do.

This whole month there will be other opportunities as well for these allies to get together. Later in the month there's a NATO summit in Istanbul, Turkey; there's a European Union summit coming up later in the month as well. So there will be several opportunities for President Bush to meet with these world leaders to try to patch over some of the differences that have emerged over the past year, year and a half, and there's no doubt that there will be an improvement in the relationship, although no one is under any illusions that all of these issues will be resolved.

We just saw the chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schroeder, the French president, Jacques Chirac. Vladimir Putin is here, the Russian president. This is a real summit. This is a real opportunity for all of these leaders to get together and to underscore their commitment not only to the alliance, if you will, but also their appreciation of what happened here on the beaches of Normandy 60 years ago. There's Jacques Chirac, the president of France. He is hosting this international commemoration, which is about to begin here at Arromanches.

HEMMER: Wolf, if I could, I just want to hang with this picture another second here, and the crosses that are in the ground behind you in that field, it is such a beautiful place in that part of France, the western beaches of Normandy. If you could for us, I know you've been there before, and I as well, and if you could reflect for us just the beauty and the nature that surrounds you? It is such a contrast for the events that took place in that very area behind you 60 years ago at this point.

BLITZER: It is so beautiful here today. The beaches are so peaceful. The cliffs are so dramatic. And the cemetery, such a sad place, because if you walk up and down the aisle of these crosses, these stars of David, you stop, you pause, you look at the names and you see that every one of these men buried here, they were young men. Some in their late teens, in their early 20s. They all have a name. They all have a hometown. They have a rank. And they tell this story, more than 9,000 tombstones behind me, and there's another thousand with no names because they're missing in action. The remains that were discovered simply could not be identified. So sad that there are no names on those tombstones.

This is a whole different world today, knowing that 60 years ago today people were dying in very, very big numbers, people were dying in horrible deaths, and as a result of what they did, though, the liberation of Europe began, eventually resulting in the end of Nazi Germany, the Nazi German empire, and the start of this new world. When I walk up and down, as I have over these past few days, Bill, and I've spoken to some of these elderly American vets in their late 70s and 80s, they are all so proud of what they've done, but they're also all so sad.

The biggest difference that I've come away with over the 60th anniversary, as opposed to the 50th anniversary, and I was here for that when Bill Clinton was here, is that the vets now are openly crying because they are so much older, ten years older, and they see the end. Tragically, it's been estimated that about a thousand or 1,500 of these World War II veterans die every single day. Their stories will end. They want to tell their stories now. Most of them can. But they all get so emotional. You just have to ask them a question or two, Bill, and all of a sudden you see the tears beginning to flow.

HEMMER: Thank you, Wolf, for that. Wolf Blitzer in Normandy, and the focus on that generation is so acute now with the dedication of the memorial last week over Memorial weekend in Washington, D.C. Wolf Blitzer reporting live in Normandy. Much more with Wolf throughout the morning here. Soledad?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Because those D-day celebrations, of course, just one of our top stories this morning. Of course, we are covering the death of former President Ronald Reagan as well. For most Americans, thinking of former President Reagan means thinking of California. But Mr. Reagan began his life in the Midwest, in Illinois. Our Jonathan Freed is in Dixon, Illinois for us this morning. Good morning to you, Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Sunday services are set to begin here at the First Christian Church, and this is where the Reagan family attended church all those years ago, when Mr. Reagan was a young boy. They're set to begin in just under an hour from now, and this is the Sunday morning, the morning after Dixon, Illinois, lost its favorite son.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (voice-over): As president, Ronald Reagan would be dubbed the great communicator for his ability to explain complex issues in simple terms.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: And it took 300 people from my office of management and budget just to read the bill so the government wouldn't shut down.

FREED: But from the time of his youth here in Illinois, they simply dubbed him "Dutch." He was born in 1911 to parents Jack and Nelle in the town of Tampico. The Reagans settled in Dixon when Dutch was 9 years old.

REAGAN: We were a family that could only be described as poor in a financial way or material way, and yet we had a very happy life the four of us.

FREED: Some of the strongest hometown memories, though, flow from the river.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I can still see the dock out here, with Dutch walking up and down the dock, with his swimming suit on that said "life guard" with a whistle around his neck.

FREED: In 1928, Ronald Reagan headed to Eureka College, just 60 miles south of Dixon, and played on the Golden Tornado football team, and was captain, and then coach of the swim team. He kept up the acting and was president of the student senate. In 1990, Mr. Reagan returned to Dixon for the last time, drawn again to the river.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: You really pull 77 people out of here?

REAGAN: Yes. Supposed to be the log, I used to cut a notch in the log for every one of them.

FREED: And toured the restored home where he grew up. The friends of his younger years consider it remarkable that the man who would be president never stopped being the regular guy they knew and loved.

WILFRED MULLER, REGAN COLLEGE FRIEND: He was just one of us. That's another reason why it was a bigger surprise to us, probably, than the people that didn't know him, to see how well he succeeded.

FREED: And if a measure of a person's worth on earth is how they think of you after you're gone, some of those who knew Ronald Reagan take his measure by the way his personality, they say, raised the spirits of a nation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED: And in about 45 minutes from now Sunday services here at the First Christian church are set to begin here in Dixon, Illinois. We understand that it's supposed to be a normal Sunday service with some mention, of course, of the former president's passing. Soledad?

O'BRIEN: That would be expected. Jonathan Freed for us this morning, Jonathan, thanks. Bill?

HEMMER: Want to take you back to Normandy in a moment on this day 60 years ago, 2,500 allied soldiers died in taking the western beaches of Normandy, France. Back in a moment live as our coverage continues on this Sunday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Whether you agreed with him or not, one thing was undeniable about President Reagan. He knew how to use humor to win over his critics. Here is CNN's senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REAGAN: I had a phone call the other night.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST (voice-over): 1980, the Al Smith dinner in New York. Ronald Reagan's age is an issue that overhangs the presidential campaign. President Carter, Reagan says, called him with a question.

REAGAN: Ronnie, the caller said, how come you look younger every day when I see a new picture of you riding horseback? I said, well, Jimmy, that's easy, I just keep riding older horses.

GREENFIELD: So much for the age issue. But in 1984, Reagan stumbles badly in his first debate with Walter Mondale.

REAGAN: But I also believe something else about that. I believe that, and when I became governor of California...

GREENFIELD: And whispers about his age are getting louder. Then, in the second debate Reagan says...

REAGAN: I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. GREENFIELD: So much for the age issue. Two years later, President Reagan confronts another issue. Is he lazy?

REAGAN: I don't know about you, but I've been working long hours. I've really been burning the mid-day oil.

GREENFIELD: All through his public life, Reagan demonstrated a skillful use of humor as any political figure. Reporter Lou Cannon, who chronicled Reagan throughout his political career, said it was far more than simply a pleasant personality trait.

LOU CANNON, REAGAN BIOGRAPHER: I think Reagan's humor was the key to his political success.

REAGAN: I'm so desperate for attention, I almost considered holding a news conference.

CANNON: Reagan knew if you make fun of yourself, that you establish a bond with people. He did it all the time.

GREENFIELD: He knew, by instinct or by experience, if you joke about a presumed weak spot, people relax about it. If it doesn't bother me, the joke says, it shouldn't bother you.

REAGAN: Preparing me for a press conference was like reinventing the wheel. It's not true. I was around when the wheel was invented and it was easier.

GREENFIELD: Thus, Reagan's acceptance speech at the 1980 Republican Convention began by noting his first career.

REAGAN: For the first thrill tonight, was to find myself for the first time in a long time in a movie on primetime.

GREENFIELD: But Reagan's humor was also a tool he used to defang opponents, some who saw Reagan as a dangerous extremist. Long-time Reagan aide Mike Deaver.

MIKE DEAVER, REAGAN AIDE: In some instances, probably, that's what people had thought before they came into the room, if they believed everything they'd read about him. So he did use humor to sort of soften his own image.

GREENFIELD: And long-time political adversaries like former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder agreed.

PAT SCHROEDER, FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN: He had, kind of this little lilt, this little twinkle that worked when he was dealing with people, so that folks becoming very angry about something, they would kind of melt down. I wish he had more substance. He couldn't have had more grace, and humor is a wonderful way to have grace and take the edge off life, which a lot of people need to do today.

GREENFIELD: His humor was a gift on display at the most serious of moments. When he was shot in 1981, he was quoted as saying to the doctors, quote, "I hope you're all republicans." DEAVER: That was the beginning of the real change in people's perceptions about Reagan.

GREENFIELD: That, says Michael Deaver, was grace under fire.

REAGAN: I heard those speakers at that other convention saying, we won the Cold War. And I couldn't help wondering, just who exactly do they mean by "we?"

GREENFIELD: And his humor was there in one of his last public appearances. At the 1992 Republican Convention, where he mocked both Bill Clinton and himself.

REAGAN: This fellow they've nominated claims he's the new Thomas Jefferson. Well, let me tell you something, I knew Thomas Jefferson.

GREENFIELD: In politics, humor is like nitroglycerin, powerful but dangerous. In the wrong hands, attempts at humor have ended political careers. In the hands of a master like Ronald Reagan, there is no better tool.

Jeff Greenfield, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Remembering Ronald Reagan, age 93.

Back to Wolf Blitzer in Normandy. Wolf?

BLITZER: Thanks, Bill. They're getting ready for the Arromanches, the international ceremony. The president of the United States, take a look at this, his limousine has just arrived. Four other world leaders will be there as well in addition to the president, the Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blair, the French president is the host, Jacques Chirac.

There's George W. Bush being received at the start of this international ceremony, commemorating 60 years to the day. The liberation of Europe began, the liberation of France, on June 6th, 1944. Mrs. Bush joining the president. They'll be joining other world leaders including the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder. There's Jacques Chirac, the president of France, the host. You see Vladimir Putin in the background; you see Queen Elizabeth II. This ceremony is about to begin.

HEMMER: As we wait, Vladimir Putin, as we pointed out earlier, making his presence felt, there as well as Gerhard Schroeder, the German chancellor. The first time we've seen a German chancellor at these proceedings. Jacques Chirac, two seats away from the U.S. president, and of course, the first lady there.

It has been extremely long trip already with the president turning in for the night last night, only minutes later to be awoken and be greeted with the news of Ronald Reagan's passing. It had been rumored throughout the day yesterday in the White House that said to be already making plans for the procession later in the week in Washington in the event that Ronald Reagan passed. And indeed he did at 1:00 Pacific coast time, 4:00 east coast time yesterday afternoon.

Wolf, as we look at proceedings today, certainly the presence of Ronald Reagan is felt yet again there today on the shores of France and it will be interesting to note whether or not any of these men in the next coming speeches here bring up Ronald Reagan's legacy yet again, as we have noted throughout the morning here.

Also, Wolf, as we look at this...

BLITZER: Let me just briefly describe...

HEMMER: Please, go ahead.

BLITZER: Bill, I was just going to describe what we can anticipate in the coming minutes at this international commemorative event as we take a look at the dignitaries who have gathered there. There will be a parade of veterans who will parade in front of these world leaders, the president of the United States there, Laura Bush, sitting in the front row, next to Vladimir Putin, the president of Russian. Next to the president is Mrs. Chirac, next to her, the president, Jacques Chirac.

The veterans will be seated. There will be a Legion of Honor series of awards that President Chirac will present to some of the veterans who have gathered here, including American veterans who come here 60 years later. Jacques Chirac will then make brief remarks on this occasion. There will be a fly-over, there will be a naval review, and that will be it. That will be the ceremony, the only official speaker coming up in the next few minutes, the host of all of this, Jacques Chirac.

The audience is now being told what is expected by the French announcer. This ceremony will be brief, it will be poignant, though, it will be to the point. The major point being that Europe became free starting 60 years ago today, and significantly, you see sitting behind the president, Gerhard Schroeder, right next to Tony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder, the first time ever, Bill, that a leader of Germany has been invited to these events.

HEMMER: Code-name "Operation Overlord" 60 years ago on this date. Dwight D. Eisenhower commands the operation. The allies land on five separate beaches, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The day originally chosen was actually June 5th, 1944. The invasion delayed by a day because of the rough seas crossing the English Channel. The seas were rough again on the morning of June 6th. But the allies chose that date and stuck with it at that point only to see 2,500 allied soldiers lose their life on this day, D-day, 60 years ago today.

ANNOUNCER: To open the ceremony, here are the veterans of D-day, and of the battle of Normandy. They landed here in the summer of 1944, they fought together, they probably marched together here.

Please remain seated.

(APPLAUSE) HEMMER: What a wonderful tribute this is to see the men and women there who have made their way back to the beaches of Normandy from the U.S., from Canada, from France, from the U.K. At the end of this day, 60 years ago, all five of those beaches stormed had been secured. The allies had the foothold they needed in western Europe, but not before tremendous human cost. 2,500 lost their lives on this day, D-day, 1944.

O'BRIEN: What a remarkable story and what a remarkable picture to see this morning. That is it for the special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks for joining us. The special edition of "INSIDE POLITICS" now, with Judy Woodruff.

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Aired June 6, 2004 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is also a significant story today. This was supposed to be the day that we would all focus on 60 years ago and the Allied invasion on the beaches of Normandy. Those events continue at this hour, and our Wolf Blitzer is there, standing by live in Normandy with more there.
Wolf, hello.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS": (NO AUDIO) ... set to begin here in Normandy at Arromanches.

This is where the French president, Jacques Chirac, is hosting several important world leaders, including of course, the U.S. President George W. Bush. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin. It's the first time the head of Russia will be participating in these D-day anniversaries. Perhaps even more significant, the German chancellor, Chancellor Schroeder, Gerhard Schroeder, this is the first time that Germany is participating in the 60th anniversary in these D- day anniversary celebrations, commemorations. As well the leaders of Greece and Poland, the Netherlands. About a dozen other countries will be participating as well.

A very moving ceremony coming up underscoring that this is a new Europe, a Europe very, very different than the Europe of 1944 and 1945. The Europe of June 6th, 1944, when the U.S., Britain, and the other allies stormed the beaches behind me, Omaha Beach in particular, and set the stage for the liberation of France and then the liberation of the rest of Europe.

They are now there on the podium. There will be speeches. There will be musical moments. There will be all sorts of commemorative events. This is almost the finale of what has been very long day of commemoration right now, a long day of commemoration underscoring how Europe has changed over these past 60 years. This is going to be a moving ceremony at Arromanches because it will also show that the allies of today were the enemies then.

Bill?

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, also with this passing of Ronald Reagan, how much is that playing a part of the ceremonies today?

BLITZER: It's playing a part. It's certainly on the minds of these world leaders. When the president spoke at the U.S./French commemoration earlier here at the Colleville American Military cemetery, he began his statement by recalling Ronald Reagan when he was here 20 years ago for the 40th anniversary of D-day. Many of the other world leaders, of course, remember Ronald Reagan, they remember his contributions and the steps leading to the end of the cold war, but they are not specifically singling out memories of Ronald Reagan here. This is a day when they want to remember the veterans, the young men who freed Europe, who changed the world on those days 60 years ago, and as a result they're not all talking about Ronald Reagan. But behind the scenes people are thinking of him, people are remembering him. President Bush openly praised him at the start of his speech here at the Colleville cemetery.

HEMMER: Wolf, you mentioned Gerhard Schroeder, the first German chancellor to attend D-day ceremonies. That is quite significant for the people on the European continent. Also today was Jacques Chirac shaking hands with President Bush. Has there been much talk about the disagreements regarding Iraq a year ago, and possibly also talk today about trying to get some sort of U.N. resolution passed regarding Iraq and the future of that new government?

BLITZER: Yes. There have been serious strains and there still are serious strains in the relationship between the United States on the one hand and France and Germany and Russia on the other hand, all members of the U.N. Security Council, all working right now to try to forge some new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq.

When I spoke earlier today with the secretary of state, Colin Powell, he suggested a few more days, they would work out all the remaining differences. He suggested there weren't any real serious differences right now, but they are working, tweaking the language, if you will. There will be a date certain in that resolution, the end of 2005, when this stage of the U.S.-led military involvement in Iraq will be terminated. He made it clear, Bill, that Germany and France are making it clear to the United States that even if this U.N. Security Council resolution is passed, as presumably it will be in the coming days, France and Germany, for example, have no intention of participating militarily on the ground in Iraq.

HEMMER: And these men are all going to spend a significant amount of time, starting in Normandy, then going to the G8 summit in Sea Island, in Georgia, then with the funeral procession in Washington, D.C. later in the week, do you anticipate some sort of resolution or some sort of common ground coming out of these meetings by the end of let's say this coming week, on Thursday or Friday? Or is that too premature, Wolf?

BLITZER: I think it's a little premature. I think that they might have the U.N. Security Council resolution, the language of that approved by the end of the week. That's certainly what U.S. anticipates. That's basically what secretary Powell told me earlier today. But there still will be plenty of work to do.

This whole month there will be other opportunities as well for these allies to get together. Later in the month there's a NATO summit in Istanbul, Turkey; there's a European Union summit coming up later in the month as well. So there will be several opportunities for President Bush to meet with these world leaders to try to patch over some of the differences that have emerged over the past year, year and a half, and there's no doubt that there will be an improvement in the relationship, although no one is under any illusions that all of these issues will be resolved.

We just saw the chancellor of Germany, Gerhard Schroeder, the French president, Jacques Chirac. Vladimir Putin is here, the Russian president. This is a real summit. This is a real opportunity for all of these leaders to get together and to underscore their commitment not only to the alliance, if you will, but also their appreciation of what happened here on the beaches of Normandy 60 years ago. There's Jacques Chirac, the president of France. He is hosting this international commemoration, which is about to begin here at Arromanches.

HEMMER: Wolf, if I could, I just want to hang with this picture another second here, and the crosses that are in the ground behind you in that field, it is such a beautiful place in that part of France, the western beaches of Normandy. If you could for us, I know you've been there before, and I as well, and if you could reflect for us just the beauty and the nature that surrounds you? It is such a contrast for the events that took place in that very area behind you 60 years ago at this point.

BLITZER: It is so beautiful here today. The beaches are so peaceful. The cliffs are so dramatic. And the cemetery, such a sad place, because if you walk up and down the aisle of these crosses, these stars of David, you stop, you pause, you look at the names and you see that every one of these men buried here, they were young men. Some in their late teens, in their early 20s. They all have a name. They all have a hometown. They have a rank. And they tell this story, more than 9,000 tombstones behind me, and there's another thousand with no names because they're missing in action. The remains that were discovered simply could not be identified. So sad that there are no names on those tombstones.

This is a whole different world today, knowing that 60 years ago today people were dying in very, very big numbers, people were dying in horrible deaths, and as a result of what they did, though, the liberation of Europe began, eventually resulting in the end of Nazi Germany, the Nazi German empire, and the start of this new world. When I walk up and down, as I have over these past few days, Bill, and I've spoken to some of these elderly American vets in their late 70s and 80s, they are all so proud of what they've done, but they're also all so sad.

The biggest difference that I've come away with over the 60th anniversary, as opposed to the 50th anniversary, and I was here for that when Bill Clinton was here, is that the vets now are openly crying because they are so much older, ten years older, and they see the end. Tragically, it's been estimated that about a thousand or 1,500 of these World War II veterans die every single day. Their stories will end. They want to tell their stories now. Most of them can. But they all get so emotional. You just have to ask them a question or two, Bill, and all of a sudden you see the tears beginning to flow.

HEMMER: Thank you, Wolf, for that. Wolf Blitzer in Normandy, and the focus on that generation is so acute now with the dedication of the memorial last week over Memorial weekend in Washington, D.C. Wolf Blitzer reporting live in Normandy. Much more with Wolf throughout the morning here. Soledad?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Because those D-day celebrations, of course, just one of our top stories this morning. Of course, we are covering the death of former President Ronald Reagan as well. For most Americans, thinking of former President Reagan means thinking of California. But Mr. Reagan began his life in the Midwest, in Illinois. Our Jonathan Freed is in Dixon, Illinois for us this morning. Good morning to you, Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Sunday services are set to begin here at the First Christian Church, and this is where the Reagan family attended church all those years ago, when Mr. Reagan was a young boy. They're set to begin in just under an hour from now, and this is the Sunday morning, the morning after Dixon, Illinois, lost its favorite son.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (voice-over): As president, Ronald Reagan would be dubbed the great communicator for his ability to explain complex issues in simple terms.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: And it took 300 people from my office of management and budget just to read the bill so the government wouldn't shut down.

FREED: But from the time of his youth here in Illinois, they simply dubbed him "Dutch." He was born in 1911 to parents Jack and Nelle in the town of Tampico. The Reagans settled in Dixon when Dutch was 9 years old.

REAGAN: We were a family that could only be described as poor in a financial way or material way, and yet we had a very happy life the four of us.

FREED: Some of the strongest hometown memories, though, flow from the river.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I can still see the dock out here, with Dutch walking up and down the dock, with his swimming suit on that said "life guard" with a whistle around his neck.

FREED: In 1928, Ronald Reagan headed to Eureka College, just 60 miles south of Dixon, and played on the Golden Tornado football team, and was captain, and then coach of the swim team. He kept up the acting and was president of the student senate. In 1990, Mr. Reagan returned to Dixon for the last time, drawn again to the river.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: You really pull 77 people out of here?

REAGAN: Yes. Supposed to be the log, I used to cut a notch in the log for every one of them.

FREED: And toured the restored home where he grew up. The friends of his younger years consider it remarkable that the man who would be president never stopped being the regular guy they knew and loved.

WILFRED MULLER, REGAN COLLEGE FRIEND: He was just one of us. That's another reason why it was a bigger surprise to us, probably, than the people that didn't know him, to see how well he succeeded.

FREED: And if a measure of a person's worth on earth is how they think of you after you're gone, some of those who knew Ronald Reagan take his measure by the way his personality, they say, raised the spirits of a nation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED: And in about 45 minutes from now Sunday services here at the First Christian church are set to begin here in Dixon, Illinois. We understand that it's supposed to be a normal Sunday service with some mention, of course, of the former president's passing. Soledad?

O'BRIEN: That would be expected. Jonathan Freed for us this morning, Jonathan, thanks. Bill?

HEMMER: Want to take you back to Normandy in a moment on this day 60 years ago, 2,500 allied soldiers died in taking the western beaches of Normandy, France. Back in a moment live as our coverage continues on this Sunday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Whether you agreed with him or not, one thing was undeniable about President Reagan. He knew how to use humor to win over his critics. Here is CNN's senior analyst Jeff Greenfield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REAGAN: I had a phone call the other night.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST (voice-over): 1980, the Al Smith dinner in New York. Ronald Reagan's age is an issue that overhangs the presidential campaign. President Carter, Reagan says, called him with a question.

REAGAN: Ronnie, the caller said, how come you look younger every day when I see a new picture of you riding horseback? I said, well, Jimmy, that's easy, I just keep riding older horses.

GREENFIELD: So much for the age issue. But in 1984, Reagan stumbles badly in his first debate with Walter Mondale.

REAGAN: But I also believe something else about that. I believe that, and when I became governor of California...

GREENFIELD: And whispers about his age are getting louder. Then, in the second debate Reagan says...

REAGAN: I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. GREENFIELD: So much for the age issue. Two years later, President Reagan confronts another issue. Is he lazy?

REAGAN: I don't know about you, but I've been working long hours. I've really been burning the mid-day oil.

GREENFIELD: All through his public life, Reagan demonstrated a skillful use of humor as any political figure. Reporter Lou Cannon, who chronicled Reagan throughout his political career, said it was far more than simply a pleasant personality trait.

LOU CANNON, REAGAN BIOGRAPHER: I think Reagan's humor was the key to his political success.

REAGAN: I'm so desperate for attention, I almost considered holding a news conference.

CANNON: Reagan knew if you make fun of yourself, that you establish a bond with people. He did it all the time.

GREENFIELD: He knew, by instinct or by experience, if you joke about a presumed weak spot, people relax about it. If it doesn't bother me, the joke says, it shouldn't bother you.

REAGAN: Preparing me for a press conference was like reinventing the wheel. It's not true. I was around when the wheel was invented and it was easier.

GREENFIELD: Thus, Reagan's acceptance speech at the 1980 Republican Convention began by noting his first career.

REAGAN: For the first thrill tonight, was to find myself for the first time in a long time in a movie on primetime.

GREENFIELD: But Reagan's humor was also a tool he used to defang opponents, some who saw Reagan as a dangerous extremist. Long-time Reagan aide Mike Deaver.

MIKE DEAVER, REAGAN AIDE: In some instances, probably, that's what people had thought before they came into the room, if they believed everything they'd read about him. So he did use humor to sort of soften his own image.

GREENFIELD: And long-time political adversaries like former Congresswoman Pat Schroeder agreed.

PAT SCHROEDER, FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN: He had, kind of this little lilt, this little twinkle that worked when he was dealing with people, so that folks becoming very angry about something, they would kind of melt down. I wish he had more substance. He couldn't have had more grace, and humor is a wonderful way to have grace and take the edge off life, which a lot of people need to do today.

GREENFIELD: His humor was a gift on display at the most serious of moments. When he was shot in 1981, he was quoted as saying to the doctors, quote, "I hope you're all republicans." DEAVER: That was the beginning of the real change in people's perceptions about Reagan.

GREENFIELD: That, says Michael Deaver, was grace under fire.

REAGAN: I heard those speakers at that other convention saying, we won the Cold War. And I couldn't help wondering, just who exactly do they mean by "we?"

GREENFIELD: And his humor was there in one of his last public appearances. At the 1992 Republican Convention, where he mocked both Bill Clinton and himself.

REAGAN: This fellow they've nominated claims he's the new Thomas Jefferson. Well, let me tell you something, I knew Thomas Jefferson.

GREENFIELD: In politics, humor is like nitroglycerin, powerful but dangerous. In the wrong hands, attempts at humor have ended political careers. In the hands of a master like Ronald Reagan, there is no better tool.

Jeff Greenfield, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Remembering Ronald Reagan, age 93.

Back to Wolf Blitzer in Normandy. Wolf?

BLITZER: Thanks, Bill. They're getting ready for the Arromanches, the international ceremony. The president of the United States, take a look at this, his limousine has just arrived. Four other world leaders will be there as well in addition to the president, the Prime Minister of Britain, Tony Blair, the French president is the host, Jacques Chirac.

There's George W. Bush being received at the start of this international ceremony, commemorating 60 years to the day. The liberation of Europe began, the liberation of France, on June 6th, 1944. Mrs. Bush joining the president. They'll be joining other world leaders including the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder. There's Jacques Chirac, the president of France, the host. You see Vladimir Putin in the background; you see Queen Elizabeth II. This ceremony is about to begin.

HEMMER: As we wait, Vladimir Putin, as we pointed out earlier, making his presence felt, there as well as Gerhard Schroeder, the German chancellor. The first time we've seen a German chancellor at these proceedings. Jacques Chirac, two seats away from the U.S. president, and of course, the first lady there.

It has been extremely long trip already with the president turning in for the night last night, only minutes later to be awoken and be greeted with the news of Ronald Reagan's passing. It had been rumored throughout the day yesterday in the White House that said to be already making plans for the procession later in the week in Washington in the event that Ronald Reagan passed. And indeed he did at 1:00 Pacific coast time, 4:00 east coast time yesterday afternoon.

Wolf, as we look at proceedings today, certainly the presence of Ronald Reagan is felt yet again there today on the shores of France and it will be interesting to note whether or not any of these men in the next coming speeches here bring up Ronald Reagan's legacy yet again, as we have noted throughout the morning here.

Also, Wolf, as we look at this...

BLITZER: Let me just briefly describe...

HEMMER: Please, go ahead.

BLITZER: Bill, I was just going to describe what we can anticipate in the coming minutes at this international commemorative event as we take a look at the dignitaries who have gathered there. There will be a parade of veterans who will parade in front of these world leaders, the president of the United States there, Laura Bush, sitting in the front row, next to Vladimir Putin, the president of Russian. Next to the president is Mrs. Chirac, next to her, the president, Jacques Chirac.

The veterans will be seated. There will be a Legion of Honor series of awards that President Chirac will present to some of the veterans who have gathered here, including American veterans who come here 60 years later. Jacques Chirac will then make brief remarks on this occasion. There will be a fly-over, there will be a naval review, and that will be it. That will be the ceremony, the only official speaker coming up in the next few minutes, the host of all of this, Jacques Chirac.

The audience is now being told what is expected by the French announcer. This ceremony will be brief, it will be poignant, though, it will be to the point. The major point being that Europe became free starting 60 years ago today, and significantly, you see sitting behind the president, Gerhard Schroeder, right next to Tony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder, the first time ever, Bill, that a leader of Germany has been invited to these events.

HEMMER: Code-name "Operation Overlord" 60 years ago on this date. Dwight D. Eisenhower commands the operation. The allies land on five separate beaches, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The day originally chosen was actually June 5th, 1944. The invasion delayed by a day because of the rough seas crossing the English Channel. The seas were rough again on the morning of June 6th. But the allies chose that date and stuck with it at that point only to see 2,500 allied soldiers lose their life on this day, D-day, 60 years ago today.

ANNOUNCER: To open the ceremony, here are the veterans of D-day, and of the battle of Normandy. They landed here in the summer of 1944, they fought together, they probably marched together here.

Please remain seated.

(APPLAUSE) HEMMER: What a wonderful tribute this is to see the men and women there who have made their way back to the beaches of Normandy from the U.S., from Canada, from France, from the U.K. At the end of this day, 60 years ago, all five of those beaches stormed had been secured. The allies had the foothold they needed in western Europe, but not before tremendous human cost. 2,500 lost their lives on this day, D-day, 1944.

O'BRIEN: What a remarkable story and what a remarkable picture to see this morning. That is it for the special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks for joining us. The special edition of "INSIDE POLITICS" now, with Judy Woodruff.

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