On Friday, President Obama remembered the brave young men who fought on the beaches of Normandy 70 years ago to break the chains of fascism and achieve global freedom.  

While in Normandy, France, Obama called the shores "democracy's beachhead" as he commemorated the Allied invasion, which he said ushered in freedoms around the world. 

"Nations that once knew only the blinders of fear began to taste the blessings of freedom," Obama said, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

"That would not have happened without the men who were willing to lay down their lives for people they'd never met, and ideals they couldn't live without," he continued. 

Obama remembered D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, where almost 9,400 American soldiers are buried. The fallen are buried at the spot overlooking the English Channel where Allied forces launched the invasions that would liberate France from Germany's Nazi forces. While the invasion liberated Europe from tyranny, it also left more than 425,000 dead, wounded or missing in action. 

"Gentlemen, we are truly humbled by your presence today," Obama said to the veterans at the anniversary ceremony. 

At one point during the ceremony, Obama digressed from his prepared statements and spoke about how the day affects him personally. 

"I don't think there's a time I miss my grandfather more, or a time I'd be more happy to have him here than this day," he said. 

D-Day commemorations have been held since President Carter honored the fallen at Normandy in 1978. Presidents after him began to commemorate the day every few years in order to praise the "Greatest Generation" and retell the story of tragedy and eventual victory. 

The visit marks Obama's second visit to Normandy; he visited the first time for the 65th anniversary in 2009. 

The visit to Europe occurs while Obama, who had widespread support for his military agenda in his first term, is facing opposition to his policies on both sides of the aisle. He is facing criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for exchanging five members of the Taliban for the release of an American soldier, and the Veterans Affairs Department is facing an enormous scandal due to revelations that veterans died while waiting to receive medical care. 

Obama has also been urged to consider using U.S. military force in Syria, which has been mired in a violent civil war for more than three years. 

Obama spoke about U.S. military strategy, among other issues, while on this week's European trip. While at the G7 meeting with European leaders Thursday, he tried to get European leaders to be unified in the isolation of Russia due to the annexation of Crimea. He also had to reassure America's allies that the United States would adhere to the NATO treaty that promises U.S. defense in times of need. 

The president hinted at his military strategy while addressing the crowd of foreign dignitaries and World War II veterans Friday, which also included veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to The Los Angeles Times. 

"When the war was won, we claimed no spoils of victory -- we helped Europe rebuild. We claimed no land other than the earth where we bury those who gave their lives under our flag, and where we station those who still serve under it," he said.  

"And our victory in that war decided not just a century, but shaped the security and well-being of all posterity. We worked to turn old adversaries into new allies," he added. 

Obama recounted that 4,500 Allied troops -- more than half of them American -- died on the first day of the invasion, which the president suggested might not have been tolerated today. 

"In our age of instant commentary, the invasion would have been swiftly and roundly declared, as it was by one officer, 'a debacle,'" Obama said. "But a race to judgment does not take into account the courage of free men."

Obama then praised the "9/11 generation" of soldiers, and hailed Staff Sgt. Melvin Cedillo-Martin and Spec. Jannise Rodriguez, who earned the title of 101st Airborne Division Air Assault Soldier of the Year. 

"They too felt some tug; they answered some call; they said 'I'll go,'" Obama said.  

A luncheon then took place with the most powerful leaders in Europe, including Queen Elizabeth II and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The president has a strained relationship with Putin and Russia due to the country's recent actions in Ukraine. 

During the G7 summit, Obama and leaders from Britain, France and Germany discussed the best way to handle the the Ukraine conflict and Russia's aggression in the region. 

At the meeting, Obama said the U.S. and Europe may levy more sanctions on Russia if it does not extricate itself from the Ukrainian conflict and stop its overreaching display of power in the region.