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Walking together on Omaha Beach, 19-year-old college student Caleb Walker and 101-year-old WWII veteran Jack Myers reflected on the sacrifices made during the D-Day invasion. As part of the Best Defense Foundation’s 2025 NextGen initiative, Caleb and 13 other students spent time in Normandy with over 20 WWII veterans to learn about their experiences.
Caleb emphasized the importance of sharing these stories back home, stating, “This program is the foundation that is allowing us to forever carry the stories we learn while we are here." The experience of visiting towns once liberated by these veterans was described as humbling by the students.
The NextGen group also visited Lycée Victor Hugo school, where they interacted with French students who asked questions about wartime experiences. Julianna McClary, a student from Montana State University, shared her personal connection to WWII through her grandfather. She stated, “Our duty is to make sure that their light never dims.”
