Seine River Cruise: Omaha Beach

Our ship spent a second night in Rouen, France.  After an early breakfast we boarded motor coaches for the full day trip to the Normandy Beaches.


After a 2.5 hour bus ride we stopped at a D-Day museum which I believe was in Bayeux.  

It was beautifully done and had a chronological timeline of the events leading up to June 6, 1944.  It was gut wrenching and emotional, but a story that needs to be remembered and told.


After lunch we headed off to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.  This was our first glimpse of Omaha Beach.


This is definitely sacred ground to be honored and respected.  The only close up photo I took was of an unknown soldier.


We arrived just in time to witness a wreath laying ceremony that takes place every day.


The memorial consists of a beautiful colonnade with a bronze statue in the center entitled "Sprit of American Youth Rising from the Waves".  


The cemetery staff asked for a female and male veteran to come forward to help with the wreath laying.  

9,389 souls are buried here most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations.  On the circular wall there are names of  1,557 missing soldiers.  The cemetery staff told us they are still working to identify unknown remains and just a couple weeks before our visit a soldier had been identified through DNA.

I never knew that Teddy Roosevelt Jr. was buried here alongside his brother Quentin who was an aviator who died in WWI and was exhumed and laid to rest next to his brother.


We walked through the grounds paying our respect and saying thank you.  What would our world have been like if these brave young soldiers and female nurses/postal workers had not been so brave?


After our visit we made our way down to the beach.  It was heart warming driving through the nearby village of Vierville-sur-Mer because almost every house had "Thank you America" signs and the flags of the allies who liberated their village.


They also had signs of remembrance for some of the soldiers who lost their lives there.


We also passed the monument where the cemetery was originally located.


We were warned numerous times by the tour guides that Omaha Beach had been a seaside resort before the war and after the war it returned to being a seaside resort.  Kids and families were out there enjoying a beautiful day on the beach.  There are even lots of vacation homes below the cliffs.  It felt a little odd, but our men in uniform fought for liberty and would be glad to know their sacrifice restored life to normal.


Here's a view of some of the cliffs our boys would have had to scale.


It's hard to believe such a horrible event took place here 80 years ago.

"The eyes of the world are upon you.  The hopes and prayers of liberty--loving people everywhere march with you"  --General Dwight D. Eisenhower










Comments

Yogi♪♪♪ said…
Wow, that would be so emotional to see that.
September 6, 2024 at 10:48 AM
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