Memorial Day: D-Day Beaches

“I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it’s marked by the blood of those who died defending it.”  – John Thune

"Over all our happy country – over all our Nation spread, 
is a band of noble heroes– is our Army of the Dead." – Will Carleton

"Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy 
forget in time that men have died to win them." – Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory there would be no civilization, no future."
 – Elie Wiesel

Thank you to all the soldiers who have served our country in the military and for the family members who have lost a loved one who has bravely sacrificed his or her life to fight for our freedom! In honor of Memorial Day and to remind myself of the somber feeling experienced during this day-trip, I want to look back at a day that I will never forget. During our 2017 Europe trip, we were incredibly fortunate to visit Normandy's D-Day beaches. A somber, sad experience because of the reality of so many lives lost in order to fight for freedom, it was something my husband and I will never forget. Walking on the same soil that American soldiers marched on as they gave the ultimate sacrifice, fighting for our country against the evil Nazi regime was an incredible experience.

After researching different guided tours of the D-Day beaches, we settled on Paris City Tours. We hopped on a fancy bus in Paris at 7am and the whole day was taken care of. I didn't have to do any research or buy any other tickets. It was a bit more expensive than us thrifty travelers are used to, but it was well worth every penny, or should I say, every euro. We were the only young couple on the tour; the majority were elderly veterans, which made it extra special since they spoke of their own military experiences. At one point, one of the veterans said, "You two must be making your grandparents very happy by joining them on this tour." Nope, we just love history :) We had both seen the movie Saving Private Ryan, which starts with a grueling and bloody scene of the American landings in Normandy, but we learned so much more because we joined this tour.

The first stop was the Caen Memorial Museum in Caen, Normandy. Our Paris City Tours ticket covered this admission and included lunch after we toured the museum at our own pace for a few hours, learning about the Battle of Normandy and the Allied forces entering France. We barely skimmed the surface of this amazing interactive museum,  filled with objects from WWII, short informative films, and models of military vehicles. It was a great starting place for gathering some important information and dates surrounding the Allied landings on the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944 (aka D-Day). This day was pivotal in the eventual victory of the Allied forces because it opened a new European front against Nazi troops. At the time, it was the largest military operation in history. The Battle of Normandy and subsequent operations eventually helped lead to the end of WWII. Roughy 150,000 Allied soldiers from USA, Canada, Great Britain, and other nations staged a sneak attack from different shores of the beaches of Normandy, including Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, and Juno Beach, as well as the treacherously steep cliffs of Pointe du Hoc.

After a much-too-short tour of the museum, we had an amazing lunch buffet at the museum and then proceeded to our second stop. 

Pointe du Hoc overlooks the English Channel and is known for the steep, one-hundred foot cliffs that separate  Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. Fortified by Nazi troops with sturdy bunkers and heavy artillery, it was a strategic point of attack for the American Rangers. By the time they landed at the base of the cliffs, they were forty crucial minutes behind schedule due to strong tides, navigation errors. Half of the troops were killed when various landing crafts were targeted by Nazi troops. But these brave American Rangers scaled the one-hundred foot cliffs with rope ladders before engaging in battle with Nazis who had not vacated the area.  Unfortunately, there were devastating casualties (of the 225 soldiers who landed at the base, only 90 survived. This does not include those who were killed at sea by Nazis on top of the cliffs). Since the Nazis figured out the Americans were coming during that horrible forty minute delay, many of the casemates where guns were stored in the bunkers were emptied as some Nazis fled with these weapons. The American Rangers who reached the top of the cliffs engaged in battle with the Nazis and were able to locate and destroy five large Nazi weapons. 

Below is a surviving observation bunker where Nazi soldiers could scout the English Channel, as seen in photos that follow. It was incredibly eery experience to walk into these bunkers.

As we walked around the historic site, there were incredibly large craters from bombs dropped by Allied forces. Greg is in the center of one of the bomb craters, which gives you a scale of how enormous they were. 

Afterwards, we hopped back in the bus and made the short trek to Omaha Beach. The memorial art  is called Les Braves in the second and third photos and commemorates American soldiers who died while fighting on the shores of Omaha Beach.

The American Cemetery is located near Omaha Beach. 9,387 white marble headstones (both crosses and Stars of David)  are lined up across the 170-acre of lawn, most of which are honoring American soldiers who lost their lives on D-Day and ensuing battles (and a few from WWI). If you have seen the movie Saving Private Ryan, this is the cemetery the old gentlemen is visiting with his family to look for the graves of his brothers. That story was loosely based on the Niland Brothers, two of which died during WWII. The third was presumed dead and was found to be alive after being released from a Japanese POW in Burma. The fourth brother was sent back to America to complete his service since it was thought that all three of his brothers died. Their graves were at this cemetery.

As Greg and I quietly walked around this cemetery, I couldn't help but tear up when I thought that every single one of those headstones represented not only someone who has died but a mother, wife, child, or other family member affected forever by their sacrifice for freedom. It gave me a deeper appreciation for military spouses and families.

There is a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial called the Walls of the Missing were 1,557 names are inscribed. Bronze rosettes mark the nineteen names of those who have since been identified. 

Above the walls is engraved, both in English and French:

“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 GRAVE

THIS IS THEIR MEMORIAL 

THE WHOLE EARTH THEIR SEPULCHER ”.

At its center is engraved “TO THESE WE OWE THE HIGH RESOLVE THAT THE CAUSE FOR WHICH THEY DIED SHALL LIVE”, an abbreviation of an address by General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Below is a map of the military operations in Western Europe that is in the garden. 

Our last stop of the day was near Juno Beach, one of the key D-Day landing beaches for Canadian troops.

It was a surreal and somber experience that left us sad, yet very thankful for the American soldiers who fought for our country alongside the Allies. Today on Memorial Day and always, there is so much gratitude for those who fight for our freedom in the military. Thank you!