WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is marking the 70th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat during World War II by paying tribute to the men and women who he says helped save the world and lay the foundation for peace.

Obama says in his weekly address to the nation that this generation showed “selfless grace” as they risked — and gave — their lives so that people around the world could live free.

He asks Americans to do more than just commemorate history. He asks them to rededicate themselves to the freedoms for which these men and women fought.

The White House released the radio and Internet address a day earlier than usual to coincide with Friday’s 70th anniversary of the victory by Allied forces over Nazi Germany in 1945.