Freedom is Not Free
I may be one of the least patriotic people you will ever meet. I was one of those kids who got sent to the principal’s office for not standing during the pledge of allegiance in 8th grade. But to say I was not moved when we visited Normandy would be a lie.
Normandy
Denise retired from the US Navy after 22 years. So as I was planning our road trip I thought she would want to visit Normandy.1 It was only 5.5 hours from Bordeaux and we could visit the home of two Frenchmen we met in VRSA who have a country home in Saint-Léger-sur-Sarthe on the way. (Their home formerly a 200-year-old mill, sits on 15 idyllic acres…with a pool, of course.)
Before visiting I thought of Normandy as a town…but it is the name of a region that includes the mainland district and the British Channel Islands. We stayed in Port-en-Bessin-Huppain at the Hotel Eisenhower. The small town of “Bessin” was packed with tourists and touristy places. But if you walk up a hill, one block east of the coastline, you will come to a memorial for the Normandy landings.
On 6 June 1944, the Allied forces executed Operation Overload an airborne operation coordinated with the largest seaborne invasion in history. 24,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne troops initiated the assault. An amphibious Allied assault by 133,000 soldiers followed. By the end of June 850,000 troops had landed on Normandys’ shores. It is believed that over 10,000 lost their lives.
Omaha Golf Course
I was surprised to learn that there was a golf course near Omaha Beach. In fact, the club offers two courses. We chose to play the Le Mar course that overlooks the sea.
Along the way we also saw signs like the one below:
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
There are several museums to visit, but we chose to visit the American Cemetery and Memorial. Located on the site of the first temporary American cemetery on European soil in WWII (8 June 1944), this impressive memorial covers 172 acres. There are 9,389 graves and 1,557 names inscribed on the Walls of the Missing (most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings). There is also a two-story welcome center with many interactive exhibits and a theatre. It seemed like a bit of a history lesson until I walked through the sloping corridor which leads one outdoors. As you pass through this area you hear the names of those buried in the cemetery. Then you enter the Sacrifice Gallery…
a bright sunlit space surrounded by powerful stories etched into glowing glass panels. Each story bears the face of the story's subject, set at eye height to make that poignant connection with the visitor before exiting out to the cemetery. ABMC.gov
I wiped tears from my cheeks and eyes as I walked among those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. I remembered the words that had greeted me that morning as we walked to the clubhouse. No, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE…
Again, I want to remind Americans living abroad that you can vote in the upcoming election.
And given changes in election laws in many states, this year, you might want to confirm you ARE registered…
Desculpe, mas o blogue é meu, tchau, beijinhos
Nanc
I realize I am jumping ahead in our road trip story. We had visited Bilbao and Bourdeaux before heading to Normandy. I promise I will get to them in future posts.
Lovely post and thanks for throwing in Kamala at the end!
About 15 years ago, my dad (retired US Navy and lost his father to WWII) traveled to Normandy with my mom, aunt, and uncle. Rather stoic, he was very moved by the memorials. On the way back to the car park, an elderly woman stopped them and asked in French if they were American. My dad spoke French well and asked if she needed help. She threw her arms around him and said “Bless you and thank you! We French are grateful and will never forget you!” ❤️ Dad’s father was a submarine captain, one of the first sub casualties of the war in the Pacific.