Speaking Friday in Normandy on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day, President Obama declared that the U.S. claim to liberty is “written in the blood on these beaches.” The president also drew a connection between those who served in World War II and the 9/11 generation of servicemembers, saying that their efforts “proved once again that the United States of America is and will remain the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known.” World leaders including Francois Hollande, Queen Elizabeth II, Vladimir Putin, and Angela Merkel gathered for the anniversary.