Our morning did not get off to a cracking start as 2 of the boys over slept and nearly missed the bus. I think both felt badly about the incident but in the end is was a blessing because we decided to go directly to the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy France 🇫🇷. We ended up being some of the first people at the cemetery.
The road signs to guide us.
Infinity pool at the Visitors Center
After the visitor center you can follow the path to look out over the English Channel. Seeing the water, the beach and then the cliffs/shoreline alone makes you wonder about these men could do what they endeavored to do.
Looking down at the English Channel
The coastline and the English Channel
This board lays out the D-Day invasion nicely.
From this overlook site you can venture up towards the man monument. One the left wall it show a map of the Normandy invasion on D-Day on the right wall it shows the continued procession of the US army through Europe. In the center is a large statue and columns connect the walls. It is beautiful and striking in the morning sun.
The left wall is a map of Normandy invasions
The right wall is a map of operations in Western Europe.
The statue in the middle. The statue is titled “The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves”
Above the statue around the ring is engraved:
FREEDOM, IS FOREVER HALLOWED BY THE IDEALS, THE VALOR AND THE SACRIFICES OF OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN”.
Looking out from the Memorial towards the Chapel
The memorial from behind.
These walls come from both sides and create a semicircle split by the walkway which is where I took the picture above. These walls contain the names of the soldiers missing in action associated with WW II. The number of names is a staggering 1,557
Another picture from the Garden framed by The Wall of the Missing
On this walk in both English and French is engraved:
“★ COMRADES IN ARMS WHOSE RESTING PLACE IS KNOWN ONLY TO GOD ★
★ HERE ARE RECORDED THE NAMES OF AMERICANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY AND WHO SLEEP IN UNKNOWN GRAVES ★ THIS IS THEIR MEMORIAL ♦ THE WHOLE EARTH THEIR SEPULCHER ★”.
★ HERE ARE RECORDED THE NAMES OF AMERICANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY AND WHO SLEEP IN UNKNOWN GRAVES ★ THIS IS THEIR MEMORIAL ♦ THE WHOLE EARTH THEIR SEPULCHER ★”.
From the memorial we walked down to the chapel.
The ceiling in the chapel. This mosaic was completed in 1953. It tells a full round story of war and peace
One wall of the Chapel
The alter and the far wall. Enlarge to read the inscriptions on the far wall and alter.
On the outside roof the following is engraved:
“THESE ENDURED ALL AND GAVE ALL THAT JUSTICE AMONG NATIONS MIGHT PREVAIL AND THAT MANKIND MIGHT ENJOY FREEDOM AND INHERIT PEACE”.
The cemetery is divided into 10 plots which form a Latin cross. The Memorial is at the base and the Chapel is in the center.
Some sections are roped off but others you can walk among the headstones
A few shots from the cemetery.
The cemetery is the final resting place of:
9,388 service members
9,238 Latin Crosses (Catholics and Protestants)
151 Stars of David (Jewish)
45 pairs of brothers. 30 are buried side by side
147 Africa Americans
20 Native Americans
4 women
4 Chaplains
304 unknown soliders. On each or their cross the following is engraved:
“HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD”.
One specific soldier laid to rest here was:
Gen. Lesley J McNair
Hometown: Verndale, MN
He was reported to be the unsung architect of the US Army.
He was killed by friendly fire in France.
The cemetery is simultaneously beautiful and sad, inspiring and heartbreaking. When I walk among the headstones, I felt compelled to touch some almost like you would pat someone on the back or shoulder. The gravity of the sacrifice was lost on no one. I kept thinking: Are you the type of person who would volunteer? Because everyone here did. Are you the type of person who would get on the boat or in the plane? Because everyone here did. Are you the type of person who would get off the boat or out of the plane? Because everyone here did. If you got out would you act with courage or valor? Because everyone here did.
At 10:30 we had a wreath laying ceremony. It was simple incredible. We had 3 people with a service history in our group so our trip leader and those 3 laid the wraith at the foot of the statue. The service entails a brief announcement, The Star Spangled Banner, wreath laying, a moment of silent and then the playing of Taps.
Laying the wreath
Laying the wreath
Laying the wreath
The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves with our wreath
After the wreath laying one of our parents who had served took 5-10 minutes talking to the students about the significance of service and this cemetery in particular. It put a particularly fine point on an amazing morning.
After a few minutes to gather and collect ourselves we boarded the bus and head to Omaha Beach.
Between the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach.
The monument for the 29th infantry at Omaha Beach
The back of the monument
Ranger plague at Omaha Beach. Take time to magnify and read each of these
This inscription.
This statue is amazing.
116th Regimental Combat memorial
The view from Omaha Beach. Imagine getting from the beach to the top of the shore on 6/6/1944. The 3rd Reich is raining down on you with all its collective might and you are going to run up this beach and hill and take it because it is your duty.
From Omaha Beach we journeyed to Pointe de Hoc. This is a 35 meter (100 ft) cliff overlooking Normandy. The concern for the Allied forces that guns in this area could rain down artillery on either Omaha or Utah Beach and seriously impair the ability of the Allied forces to claim the beach. Prior to D-Day this area was heavily shelled by the RAF and the during the invasion. The 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions were given the task of assaulting this pointe, taking it and holding it. In order to accomplish these objectives the Rangers were forced to scale the 100 meter cliffs.
They found these bunkers and fortifications were housing decoy guns. Once the point was controlled patrols discovered the guns and destroyed them.
Pointe de Hoc
Memorial for the 2nd Ranger Battalion. They were the shape end of the spear on D-Day
The inscription on the plague. The right side is the same only in French.
A fortification surrounded by craters from the bombardment of the point
The front of a gun fortifications
Machine gun and German fortification
Looking out from inside
Just one of the heroes on Pointe de Hoc
Here is another.
From Pointe de Hoc we travelled to Arromanche. It is significant because of the Mulberry harbour/docks. A floating harbour that allowed the delivery of 9,000 tons of equipment a day.
Steel roadways on top of concrete or steel buoyes held in place by kite anchors. It was an engineering marvel when it was operational. It rest in the center of the Gold beach landing zone.
Gold Beach
The city of Arromanche.
My lunch, crepe burger with an egg on top and fries
At least some of the dads were relaxing for a minute or two.
Looks at the harbour in the picture
Residual concrete pontoon on the beach at low tide
The steel roadway. Later repurposed to help cross rivers when the Germans had destroyed a bridge during their retreat.
The kite anchor
The plaque hopefully you can enlarge and read
After Arromanche we visit one final site where some of the German artillery was still present.
The bunker and the gun
Looking down the barrel.
Nellie & Elise
Katie and Olivia
Another bunker and gun
Machine gun fortification
Barley fields with the guns and bunkers at the far edge
After this we returned to Ouistreham for a good nights sleep. The girls and a few other walked into town. Little did we know it was St. John’s Fire day. There was to be a large bond fire 🔥 in the town square and music from DJ Phil. It was a beautiful but windy night.
The church and the party
Another view of the church.
This queen and me.
Jim Valvano famously said….
If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.
I definitely had a very special day and I think everyone else did too.
I definitely had a very special day and I think everyone else did too.
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