By Douglas V. Gibbs
Today marks the 67th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy. The invasion turned the tide of the war, and history shows that D-Day was the beginning of the end of World War II.
The people of Normandy remain thankful, and have not forgotten what the allied troops did so many years ago. France's liberation from the Nazis of Germany began when the allies stormed the beaches of Normandy. Today, Normandy is filled with museums, monuments, and cemeteries that pay tribute to the courage of the Allied armies.
The invasion spread across 75 miles of French coastline. Traveling that area reveals to the visitor the bravery, resolve, and hardship of the Allied undertaking.
The breathtaking bluffs served as a strategic advantage for the Germans, who were able to use the high vantage points to watch over the English Channel. The advantage belonged to the Germans, unless the invasion used stealth upon their arrival, and so many troops that the beaching overwhelmed the Germans.
The human cost of the invasion is apparent when one observes the nearly 10,000 brilliant white-marble tombstones placed near Omaha Beach in memory of the Americans who gave their lives to free Europe. The cemetery has a visitor's center, and at that office a computer terminal provides a database that provides the stories of each U.S. military member who died in Normandy.
On the headstones the names, home states, and dates of death of each fallen hero is inscribed on each.
From the Visitors Center is a path that leads down to the beach. There, on Omaha Beach, the most deaths of the invasion occurred. Standing on Omaha Beach is a solemn experience. Just standing there and attempting to wrap your mind around what happened is a struggle. Like a visit to the Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, one can only stand in awe at attempting to understand the sacrifices, and to come to grips with the horrible toll of that day.
Pointe du Hoc to the west was the site of Germany's most fortified position. The Allies bombed the location heavily, and then sent in 300 handpicked U.S. Army Rangers to assault its cliffs. The invading Americans used hooks and ladders from London fire departments to climb the cliffs. What remains today are simply piles of rubble. The bombed bunkers serve now not as the final fortification of German's position, but as the final resting place of the men who died there.
After visiting the museums, and the U.S. Armed Forces Memorial Garden where plaques honor the sacrifice young American soldiers made for Europe, one walks away understanding that on this place blood flowed, but from that horrible sacrifice came victory, and freedom.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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