Normandy {Part IV}: Remembering D-Day

Tomorrow is the 67th anniversary of D-Day.  I have co-workers that are in Normandy for this reason.  There is a reenactment of the infamous airborne assault by our Soldiers/Paratroopers stationed here in Europe.  It's too bad we didn't wait to go until this weekend.  That would have been a sight to behold.

While in Normandy, we were fortunate to visit the National American Cemetery and Memorial that honors all Americans who died in Europe during World War II.  The cemetery is located on a bluff that overlooks Omaha Beach and the English Channel.  At the same time we were there, there were Soldiers rehearsing for Memorial Day ceremonies and I believe President Obama made an appearance there as well (we had seen his motorcade on the autobahn on our drive from Paris to Normandy).

We walked about the grounds in silence, remembering our fallen comrades.  We also walked about the grounds with great pride--in being servicemembers and Americans.

This is the museum and a lovely one at that.  The displays were fantastic and we saw a tear-jerking film called "Letters".  In the film, actual letters written by World War II Soldiers were read and their stories told.  In this picture, down past the museum, you can see Omaha Beach.

This bronze statue sits at the center of a semi-circular colonnade containing large maps and narratives of the military operations during WWII.  The statue is called "Spirit of American Youth".

Looking out west from the bronze statue is a reflecting pool and beyond that the burial grounds. 

Here's Malu going down to see the graves.  On this side, stands the French flag.  On the other side, is the American flag. 

View of the bronze statue from the reflecting pool.

There are several notable burials at the cemetery including two sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, one of which was awarded the Medal of Honor.  The others we actually saw were the Niland brothers whose story was the basis of the movie, Saving Private Ryan.  Our friend's daughter was the one who actually found their headstones (shown below).

And this post pretty much wraps up our trip.  Not sure we'll ever end up in Normandy again, so boy are we glad we can check this off of our list!

Here is a group photo of the gang with our B&B hosts, Keith and Penny, just before we left.  I stole this one from the Finches.

  We miss our friends already.  Lucky for us, the Finches will be in Germany for another three years.  We'll get to visit with them again.  The Donofrios will be moving to the states in the next month or so.  We wish them the best of luck and hope that the Army allows our paths to cross again!

Anyway, hope you're all enjoying the last of the weekend!

Until next time...