Gazing over sandy dunes into the calm Atlantic, one can almost ignore the brisk wind ever-present even in June, and imagine being on the shores of Florida. However here, on the beaches of Normandy, France, thousands have gathered to remember the events of June 6, 1944- known by Americans as D-Day.
Growing up an Army brat, I get misty-eyed around anything involving death and war, but I would not give up this trip to join the veterans of World War II, their families, and the thousands that tuned out to support them, for anything in the world. For any American, visiting Normandy is a humbling experience, but admittedly I was unprepared for what lay ahead.
Amongst Americans, French citizens often have a reputation for being rude and snobby, but the people of Normandy debunk this myth in a heartbeat. They are quick to help any American in need, and I witnessed more gratefulness for the actions of our American and Allied heroes that liberated their nation than I have ever seen elsewhere. No military vet in any small town throughout the coast (and yes, they are all very small Norman towns) would go unrecognized; mayors give speeches in honor of the troops that gave them back their homes, wreaths are laid in honor of the fallen, and the liberators are celebrated throughout. I watched my dad, an Army soldier, shake hands with infantrymen and paratroopers well into their nineties, joyous to meet with a new generation of American heroes.
Americans who fell during the D-Day invasion were laid to rest in the land that they dedicated their lives to return freedom. The French made a promise to care for the graves of these soldiers as though they were those of their own sons, they have not gone back on this promise. The white crosses and stars of David, pristine and peaceful, stand erect on their bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, in Colleville-sur-Mer.
It is here that you see veterans, who have traveled so far despite their many years, standing a bit straighter to salute their fallen comrades and sharing stories with one another and anyone who will listen. The legacy of the fallen lives on through these stories, inspiring and instructing the younger generations of America and France.
It occurred to me, sitting in a crêperie after my family offered to pay for the meal of one veteran, that as college students, our generation will likely be the last to know these heroes. Their stories will live on through us and in the minds of our children. It is important that we learn from these stories and take time to appreciate the ultimate sacrifice men, some of whom were younger than us, were willing to make in the name of freedom.
