D Day Beaches In Normandy - An Emotional Journey

A few weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite regions of France - Normandy. I looked forward to my stay at the lovely Norman Manor house - La Cheneviere, located deep in the lush and verdant Norman countryside. I also looked forward to eating the last of the season - red scallops that are a highlight of the Norman winter season. Although I have been to Normandy countless times, I had never really toured the famous D Day beaches and battlegrounds at any length, so I thought that this time I would make a day of it. I used the services of Normandy Sightseeing Tours and had the pleasure to be guided by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable young lady by the name of Aurelie.
My first stop was Pont du Hoc (its  behind me in the photo), Here American Army Rangers scaled its sheer 100 ft cliffs under deadly fire to knock out huge coastal guns they didn't know had been moved. Pocked by huge craters left by naval bombardment, most of the German bunkers remain to this day. The cliff-side battlefield also offers a scenic view of the French coastline that saw some of the war's fiercest fighting.

What I thought at the start of the morning was going to be an interesting trip through World War 2 history, but it turned out to be more than that. It turned out to be an emotional day that I challenge anyone to visit and not come away changed, even if you never served in the Armed forces.

My father, a paratrooper with the 101st, was a participant in the D Day landing ( but never wanted to talk about it), so my knowledge was zero as to what really transpired that early morning of June the 6th, 1944..

After Pont du Hoc, we drove another 10 minutes to Omaha Beach.

Here I found myself under a misty, but sunny sky, amid crashing waves, lush vegetation and pleasant breezes, it created an eerie scene of seaside tranquility at the spot that one D-Day veteran recalled as mostly "darkness and confusion."Standing on this broad 4 mile stretch of silent beach, it was hard to imagine the carnage that occurred some 65 plus years ago. It was a surreal feeling to stand here and know how many American's and Germans were killed in those first early morning hours, over 3,000 on the Allies side alone. It was very humbling and in a way, very upsetting. Next we stopped at the impressive American cemetery at Colleville Saint Laurent and walked in awe among the Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David markers. Seeing so many young men's graves, most dated during the summer of 1944, was moving for anyone who has been here.. The cemetery overlooks part of Omaha Beach, and is high upon the cliff with a beautiful view of the English Channel. The cemetery is maintained by the U.S. Government. Your tax dollars are certainly at work here, because the grounds were immaculate. A monument on the grounds of the cemetery contains a statue honoring the dead and diagrams and maps of the invasion. There is also a beautiful garden and the Tablets of the missing--a list of all of the soldiers missing in action similar to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. Our guide walked with me to point out the two graves of the Niland Borthers , a family whose story is memorialized in the movie "The Saving of Private Ryan". President Theodore Roosevelt's son is also buried at Colleville Saint Laurent, although he did not die during the Normany Invasion, but a few weeks later.
More to follow -please check back in a few days......