The American Cemetery and Memorial

The American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy, France was one of the most beautiful memorials I have seen.  We first entered through the gates into the garden surrounded by the Walls of the Missing.  Here, 1,557 names of missing soldiers are inscribed into the semicircular walls.  The walls open up to the cemetery.  Over nine thousand American soldiers are buried here, each grave marked by either a Latin cross or a Star of David.  The tombstones are arranged in the shape of a cross, and are in a perfect grid formation.  This makes the graves seem almost endless.

The Stars of David sparked the thought of how brave it was for the Jewish soldiers to have noted their religion on their dog tags, despite the great risk that would have caused them in the event of a capture by the Germans.  It is incredible to think about how much that last fight meant to them, and they gave everything they had. In addition to the cemetery, there is a memorial for those still missing.  This was all a very humbling experience.  All the people buried on this land died within a few months of each other for a united cause at Normandy.  We owe much of the freedom we take for granted to these brave men and women.  

On some of the tombstones, there was no name or date of death, but just this phrase: “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God.”  These soldiers died without dog tags, and were never identified.  As we walked through the cemetery, more and more of these stones seemed to appear.  These stones, along with the monument for the missing, brought along another set of emotions.  It was very unnerving to realize that these men and women were never recognized for their brave actions.  Their families never received closure after losing their loved one. 

A large bronze statue, called The Spirit of American Youth Rising From the Waves, is located within the memorial.  Beneath it is the inscription “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”  It was cast to commemorate the bravery displayed by the young American soldiers who stormed the beaches at Normandy.

The cemetery was beautifully maintained.  It is definitely a monument and display worthy of the importance it holds.  We learned that American taxes are responsible for funding both the construction and the maintenance of the site.  It was kept in pristine condition, and caretakers were mowing the grass and polishing the tombstones as we walked around. 

I could have spent much more time in the memorial and cemetery, taking in the power of the meaning of it all.  This is a site I think every American should visit at some point in their lives.  It really makes you stop and think about the ease of the average American’s daily life, and how different it was seventy years ago.  Most of those buried in the cemetery were just a few years older than most of the students on the trip.  We are so lucky to have the chance to enjoy this trip while these young men and women were risking their lives for our freedom.