High up on the bluffs above Omaha Beach lies the American Military Cemetery. The 9,386 marble crosses and Stars of David constitute the most striking American presence in Normandy today.
The 30,000-square-foot visitors’ centre provides displays and films which help to provide a visual connection to the D-Day events on Omaha Beach. Numerous photographs and short biographies of the many of the GIs who came ashore that morning add a poignant and personal dimension to the assault.
Three soldiers awarded the Medal of Honour are buried here. Thirty nine pairs of brothers are also here, as well as a father and son, Col. Ollie Reed and Lt. Ollie Reed, Jr.
Look how many of them there were. Look how young they were. They died for your freedom. Hold back your tears and be silent.
All 9,386 headstones lie facing West; facing home.
I’m sure this is quite a stirring place to visit. A reminder of the cost of war.
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It’s a very moving place to see.
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It must be so emotional to visit somewhere like this. Look how perfectly the whole place is maintained, these men are definitely not forgotten.
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It is indeed …
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This is very poignant … I have tears in my eyes, just reading and looking at the photos and sensing the immensity of that swathe of crosses …
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It’s quite a place.
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When we visited here in 2017, I was surprised to learn that this land had been ceded to the US. It’s such a poignant place & a reminder of the sacrifices so many have made for freedom around the world! We also learned that two of Roosevelt’s sons were buried there.
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Yes, the ceding of land in perpetuity seems to be a reciprocal thing.
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