My week in Normandy

[Av8r]

Last week I spent an afternoon at the American Cemetery and Memorial overlooking Omaha Beach in Normandy. I could never find words to describe it. I knew it would be emotional but I never expected the knot in my stomach and the number of tears I shed. I spent the better part of the week on what I have described to friends as my pilgrimage to Normandy. I stood on Omaha Beach and wondered, "Within 100 feet of where I now stand, how many made the ultimate sacrifice?" I stood on the bluffs overlooking the beach and tried to imagine the ocean of steel pressing toward the shore. I gazed into the gaping maw of a German gun emplacement and tried to imagine my 18 year old self staring down those guns alongside my 18 year old friends. I came home a changed person. Memorial Day is different to me this year. And when I walked in my shop the M-37 and GPW just looked a little different to me. Let us never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice.........

[SOTVEN]

Last week I spent an afternoon at the American Cemetery and Memorial overlooking Omaha Beach in Normandy. I could never find words to describe it. I knew it would be emotional but I never expected the knot in my stomach and the number of tears I shed. I spent the better part of the week on what I have described to friends as my pilgrimage to Normandy. I stood on Omaha Beach and wondered, "Within 100 feet of where I now stand, how many made the ultimate sacrifice?" I stood on the bluffs overlooking the beach and tried to imagine the ocean of steel pressing toward the shore. I gazed into the gaping maw of a German gun emplacement and tried to imagine my 18 year old self staring down those guns alongside my 18 year old friends. I came home a changed person. Memorial Day is different to me this year. And when I walked in my shop the M-37 and GPW just looked a little different to me. Let us never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice.........

YET, NOT MANY PEOPLE REMEMBER ANYMORE... THE OTHER DAY WAS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF CRETE. NOT MANY YOUNG GREEKS KNOW WHAT THIS WAS AND HOW IT AFFECTED WORLD HISTORY. A NONTH AGO, AN OLD MAN CALLED SANTAS DIED. HE, ALONG WITH A MAN CALLED GLEZOS CLIMBED UP ON THE SACRED ROCK OF THE PARTHENON IN ATHENS DURING THE NAZI OCCUPATION AND REMOVED THE NAZI FLAG UNDER THE NOZE OF THE GUARDS. NOT MANY PEOPLE KNEW WHO HE WAS ANYMORE. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU FOR HAVING DONE THIS PILGRIMAGE TO NORMANDY, I HOPE I WILL BE ABLE TO DO THIS ONE DAY TOO.

[Lifer]

I applaud your visit! Having spent 17 years of my military career in Europe, I am well aware of the sacrifices made by my dad and his cronies. I have participated in Memorial Day services at our National Cemetery in St. Avold, France 4 times, leaving with a big lump in my throat each time.

I agree with SOTVEN when he says that no one seems to know (or care) any more. I think that is due in a large part to the fact that our fighting skills have gotten so good that we can now perform "surgical strikes" capable of inflicting great harm on our enemies while exposing our own troops to minimal risk. I have heard people speak of the current "body count" in Iraq and Afghanistan as if it were abhorrently huge. In the ten years since "9/11," we have lost far fewer troops than we did in 24 hours on D-Day. They just don't get it! Today's young folks seem to think of the current war as either a "spectator sport" or an inconvenient interruption in their TV viewing habits.

Self-centered little brats! Just wait until the wolf starts knocking on our door. I'll bet they sing a different tune then!

[HingsingM37]

John, I can only imagine the emotions of such a trip. I hope one day to visit the American cemetary as well and see many WWII landmarks. You are fortunate to have that experience. I still cannot get through that opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan" without getting emotional, to be there in person had to be overwhelming.

Sotven, one of my Greek friends did mention the Battle of Crete last week. He is in his late 40's like me and told me a story of how his uncle who was 10 or 12 at the time used to hide under a bridge when the German bombers would come because he thought he would be safe. Until his mother scolded him and said it was the bridge they were after..His uncle is still alive and he visits him in Crete yearly. He has some old WWII radios that he always fires up for him "on the island" when Mike comes to visit :

[Lifer]

This is just a suggestion, but if any of you ever do get the chance to make the trip, try to speak to some of the German, French, and Italian veterans. Some of them have some very interesting tales to tell. The bitterness of having lost the war has long worn off, and many aare happy to have a chance to tell of their experiences. (I should know. I've listened to a lot of them!) Also, if you get a chance to visit one of our overseas National Cemeteries when a ceremony is being conducted, don't be surprised to see some of our former enemies attending/participating. My American Legion post in Germany had an "arrangement" of sorts with a local German veterans' group and often participated in "joint" ceremonies. Funerals with military honors always had honor guards from both units, simply because we were friends and neighbors.

[Cal_Gary]

I, too, hope to visit these battlefields of the "Great Crusade" before my time is up.

As an aside, the lack of D-Day rememberance throughout the media was appalling-I only saw a 2-minute clip on the NBC news last night-let's never forget our "greatest generation"!
Gary