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Omaha
Beach D-Day Sites are Touching and Memorable
by
Laurie Williams Sowby
Visits with
two sons at American Cemetery and remains of German battlements
at Point du Hoc inspire feelings of patriotism and gratitude.
OMAHA BEACH,
NORMANDY, FRANCE -- It's
serene today, looking down the windswept cliffs at the distant ocean.
It's an understated contrast to the horror here on June 6, 1944,
when Allied troops invaded a 60-mile length of beaches in Operation
Overlord.
During the night,
2,700 ships carrying 176,000 soldiers had crossed the English Channel
in an effort to surprise the enemy in German strongholds along the
coast. By the end of D-Day, it belonged to the Allies, although
it would be three more long months of struggle before German soldiers
were completely pushed back to the Rhine.
My husband,
I, and two sons, ages 15 and 23, have come from the quiet village
of Caen this morning -- a pleasant, scenic, 45-minute drive through
the countryside. With limited time, we've only made brief stops
at the museum in Bayeaux and the British Cemetery there, although
signs along roadways indicate an auto tour route to several sites
significant to the D-Day invasion. Visitors could spend several
days in this area of northwest France,
and many American veterans of World War II do. (It's sure to be
a little less crowded once the 60th anniversary events are over.)
Leaves rustle
in the trees planted throughout the American Cemetery as we view
row after row of Christian crosses and symbols of the Star of David.
The quiet is punctuated by the sound of sprinklers and lawn mowers
doing their part to keep the 172 acres immaculate and green.
There are some
9,387 U.S. servicemen and
women buried here, from 49 states, the District of Columbia and
Guam. The Unknowns -- those whose remains could not be identified
-- number 307. In another area behind the semi-circular memorial
colonnade are listed the names of 1,557 whose remains were never
recovered.
Some 9,387 Americans who died during the invasion of Normandy,
June 6-August of 1944, are buried in the American Cemetery. Another
1,557 whose bodies were never recovered are listed in the Garden
of the Missing. (Photo by Laurie Williams Sowby)
On the precisely
aligned headstones are engraved the name, home state and date of
many of them on June 6, 7, or 8. Here and there you see "Known
Only to God" -- no name, no date. It's sobering to think most
of these were young men, 18-20 years old, whose short lives ended
here -- not much older nor younger than the two sons accompanying
us.
A
bronze statue titled "The Spirit of American Youth Rising from
the Waves" stands in the semi-circular colonnade of the American
Cemetery on Omaha Beach in France. (Photo by Laurie Williams Sowby)
The poignancy
is underscored by a 22-foot bronze statue titled "The Spirit
of American Youth Rising from the Waves" which stands in the
open arc of the memorial. The colonnade and reflecting pool now
have a counterpart in Washington, D.C., in the newly opened World
War II Memorial.
A colonnade and reflecting pool, of which the new World
War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., is reminiscent, contribute to the quiet atmosphere of the cemetery at
Coleville-sur-Mer. (Photo by Laurie Williams Sowby)
At the opposite
end of the walkway through the cemetery stands a small chapel. The
inscription on its altar reads, "I give unto them eternal life
and they shall never perish." A colorful mosaic on the ceiling
depicts America blessing
her sons as they depart to fight for freedom, and a grateful France
bestowing a laurel wreath upon American.
The interior
walls of the loggia feature maps outlining operations on the beach
from March until August 1944 and in western Europe from June 6,
1944, until May 8, 1945.
Just eight miles
west on another cliff is Point du Hoc Federal Monument, erected
by France to honor the
2nd Ranger Battalion which scaled the 100-foot cliff on D-Day. The
battle-scarred German bunkers, gun turrets and lookouts spread over
32 acres there can still be seen today, where grass and tiny daisies
have grown over the mounds and craters left by Allied forces. From
the point, Omaha beach is visible for miles to the north and Utah
beach to the south.
Damaged German bunkers and gun turrets remain at Point du
Hoc, along with craters created by Allied. Utah and Omaha beaches can be viewed from the
point on the cliff. (Photo by Laurie Williams Sowby)
Had time permitted,
we would have driven on to Utah Beach -- the other landing site
-- and to the village of Saint Mere-Eglise, where an American paratrooper
got caught on the steeple of a church during the drop and was eventually
shot by German soldiers.
But today we
have a rental car to return and a train to catch back to Paris,
so we drive back to Caen, one of the heavily devastated villages
in World War II that was, amazingly, totally rebuilt afterward.
Our remaining time will only allow a visit to Le Memorial de Caen,
"a museum for peace," to view films with footage of the
D-Day invasion and Battle of Normandy.
We will be content
with having seen Omaha Beach and remembering the feelings of patriotism
and gratitude we felt at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
To find out
more about the American Cemetery, see www.abmc.gov.
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© 2004 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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