Recently, I was able to spend a day at the Normandy landing beaches and the American National Cemetery. A walk on the beach as a tourist with my wife by my side on a brisk March afternoon can scarcely compare to the treacherous march up from the ocean that the Allied troops faced during the landing on June 4, 1944, but the day sure did give me some perspective. The beach is long, and the cliffs are high and the only cover the soldiers had were the obstacles the Germans placed along the shoreline to disrupt the landing craft. At low tide, the beach must have appeared to be endless and impossible to cross as the soldiers immediately faced constant gunfire over what appears to be between a quarter and a third of a mile of open sand.
My group toured the overlook at Utah Beach and the cemetery before the day was concluded out on Omaha Beach. We also toured the German bunkers at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont where we were able to walk through the bunkers, see the cement walls riddled with bullet holes, and peek out of the very narrow windows the Germans used as gun placements. We learned that, surprisingly, the guns were not placed facing directly out to sea, but more at a 45-degree angle to protect them against bombardment from ships, and to more intensely strafe the beaches from the side. The evidence of the attempt to eliminate the bunkers is all around in the bomb explosion holes located everywhere across the terrain. The craters are now overgrown with grass but still deep enough to demonstrate the bomb impacts.
Although the day ended with an exploration of Omaha Beach, the highlight of the day was clearly the visit to the American Cemetery earlier that afternoon. One of many overseas cemeteries where Americans are buried after fighting foreign wars, it is a hallowed place and a bucket list site for many Americans, particularly military veterans. Our tour guide pointed out that the gravesites were placed in random order (except for a few instances where relatives are buried next to each other) and with the rare exception of a Jewish Star on some markers, none are more decorated than any other, whether the deceased was an officer or enlisted personnel. All who gave their life are equal there! There is a wall with names of servicemembers whose remains have not been positively identified. I frequently encountered a grave marker placed for an unidentified body. Additionally, we learned that the film, "Saving Private Ryan," was inspired by a story of brothers serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters who fought and died for the United States. However, both brothers survived in reality, not just one like in the movie.
I felt the tremendous loss represented by all of the graves, but also a tremendous sense of pride for the service and sacrifice given by those who fell and are memorialized there. I also got to personally experience the appreciation the French people have for their American liberators. I wore my American Legion cover while touring the cemetery and had the humbling experience of being saluted and thanked by more than one French citizen and receiving the acknowledgment of a group of local students on a field trip!
This trip far exceeded my greatest expectations, and I am grateful for the opportunity to pay homage to the heroes buried there.
