PEORIA ( 25News Now ) - Members of American Legion Post 2 gathered in Peoria Friday morning to commemorate the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the historic turning point in World War II that changed the course of history.

Veterans and guests met at the Military Memorial Plaza near the I-74 Bridge and the Riverplex Recreation and Wellness Center in Peoria to honor those who gave everything on that historic day.

Gary Hall, a local veteran, spoke passionately about the importance of remembering the sacrifices made on June 6, 1944.

“History. Those who failed to pay attention to history are destined to mess up again. We got to keep reminding people of what happened on this date 81 years ago,” Hall said.

81 years ago, more than 160,000 allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily for

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