Reflecting on Normandy

Did you know May is Military Appreciation Month?

I have to admit, I don’t recall knowing that while I was in uniform—perhaps because every day I appreciated being in the military, so it was a given.

Even now seven years removed from the cloth, I still feel deeply connected to my first family and community.

That’s why a few weeks ago while visiting family in France, my Veteran husband and I decided to drive from Paris to Normandy to visit our fellow fallen American WWII Veterans. By selecting “avoid tolls” into the GPS, we guaranteed ourselves a scenic route through the breathtaking French countryside—up close and personal.

While it added extra time and adventure to the journey, we didn’t have to worry about all the additional fees the rental car agency would eventually tack on once the toll notifications caught up.

This wasn’t the first time we’ve driven in a foreign country to honor the memory of a Veteran. Last November, my husband, best friend and I rented a car in Brussels and drove three hours north, crossing into the Netherlands in search of the burial site of a Canadian WWII Soldier—my maternal grandfather, whom I’ve never met.

Neither of us had ever been to this part of France. We stayed in amazing accommodations in Bayeux, known as the first major town secured by the Allies during Operation Overlord after D-Day. Since we were practically in the city center, we walked everywhere and only drove when we headed out to Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery.

The weather in early May in France was pleasant. While it was a little chilly on the beach, the conditions were perfect for a visit. Almost deserted when we arrived, it was hard to imagine American forces suffered over 4000 casualties on Omaha Beach, making it the bloodiest of the five Normandy landing sites on June 6, 1944.

The American Cemetery was located behind us, on a bluff overlooking the coastline. The remains of almost 9,400 Americans are laid to rest there, including: three Medal of Honor recipients, 45 sets of brothers (30 of whom are buried side by side), a father and son, an uncle and nephew, two pairs of cousins, three general officers, four chaplains, four civilians, 147 African Americans, 20 Native Americans and four women.

Notably, of the four women, one was a civilian Red Cross volunteer and the other three served in the 6888th Postal Battalion.

We walked through the visitor center, which featured several exhibits detailing the events and significance of the D-Day landings. As we left the displays, we passed through a short tunnel while a continuous roll call of each fallen name played overhead.

Also enshrined near the headstones behind the memorial are more than 1,500 names, carved into a semi-circle “Garden of the Missing” wall.

It’s was a quiet, sobering, yet peaceful walk through the hallowed grounds. My husband and I departed with heavy hearts but gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to see that our Brothers and Sisters are resting in such a beautiful place.

Never Forget.

Never Forgotten.

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Reflecting on Normandy

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