Normandy - June 6, 1944

Since my grandfather, Chief, and all five of his brothers served in WWII and James grandfather also served, we felt like it would be a huge injustice to be in France and not go to Normandy. I expected to learn a few new facts, be in awe of the courage of that generation and see the beaches that Chief and his brothers stormed, but what I didn't expect was for Normandy to be absolutely life changing.

James and I decided to book a semi-private tour to Normandy rather than try to take a train or rent a car on our own. Our driver was a character and drove like a bat out of hell, but in hindsight, we still think we made the right choice.

Pepe picked us up at the hotel at 6:30am sharp. He was your typically little french dude. Short, skinny, wiry, witty and quick with his anti-American comments. James and I hopped into the Mercedes mini-bus (a nine passenger van) and flew through the streets of Paris to pick up six other Americans for the three hour drive to Normandy.

As soon as we hit the interstate, Pepe put on a headset and proceeded to talk for the next two and a half hours. He  told us, "you really need two or three days to do all this but you...um only paid for one, so that is what we do!" Well ok Pepe! Tell us how your really feel.

Pepe had amazing knowledge of D-Day and Normandy, but he seemed to forget what a huge role the Americans played. We asked him if there was any animosity between the French and German and he said, "Not at all...we even had a live in German maid when I was a boy." Right...cause that makes her an equal.

What happened on D-Day, summarized by AM:

The French were sissies and let the Germans come and take over part of their country. They even used the French weaponry to fight and French people to build their bunkers. As a result, the US, Great Britain (Who Pepe called "Getting Better." How soon he forgets.) and Canada came in with a massive assault on the Normandy coastline aimed to liberate France and drive into Nazi Germany.

What really happened on that day:

Before dawn on June 6, 1944, three airborne divisions (The US 82nd and the 101st and the British 6th) landed by parachute and glider behind targeted beaches. Allied naval forces brought the soldiers across the English channel and at 6:30am, six US, British, and Canadian divisions landed on Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches in what I believe was and is the greatest assault ever.

The US 4th Infantry Division pushed inland from Utah Beach. To the east, on Omaha Beach, the US 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions battled German resistance over the beach. To reach the point where the Normandy American Cemetery stands, troops had to fight across an open area of 200 yards. By the end of the day, the Americans held control of Omaha Beach.

Omaha Beach was our first stop. The tide was really high so we could only stand on the pier and look out over the vast blue water. There is a monument (Pointe du Hoc Monument) on this beach that honors the soldiers of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. It is a granite pylon on top of a German bunker on a 100 foot cliff. The soldiers had to scale the cliff to disable the German guns threatening the beaches. We walked along the grassy coastline and went inside old German bunkers. Pepe did admit that the French were really embarrassed by the bunkers because they built them and as such weren't sure what to do with them after the war. He said that personally he's glad the French decided to keep them and build a museum. When you walk across the grass, you can't help but notice the huge craters that go on for miles. These craters were from US bombs.

Next stop was Utah Beach. There is where my grandfather came in to play. He was a member of the 101st, company A and parachuted onto this beach. There is a huge red granite monument in a small park that overlooks Utah Beach. It honors the achievements of US VII Corps forces that fought to liberate the Cotentin Peninsula.

Our final stop was the American Cemetery and Memorial. Yall...words can't describe the feeling of awe and reverence when we walked across 172 acres of nothing but precisely aligned white crosses. It was breathtaking. There are 9,387 headstones, which doesn't include 1,557 missing in action. There are many crosses that simply say, "Here rests in honored Glory, our comrade in arms, known only to God.". Of the 9,000+ soldiers, three were Medal of Honor recipients and there were 41 sets of brothers.

There is a memorial when you walk in that features a 22 foot statue, "The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves," facing west towards the headstones. Also breathtaking is the Garden of the Missing. There are engraved tablets, that seem to go on for miles, that honor the missing in action. If there is a bronze rosette beside a name, it means that the remains were later recovered, identified and buried.

This cemetery is only one of 14 American WWII military cemeteries on foreign soil. The government of France grated use of this land as a permanent burial ground.

I have a few other funny stories that happened with Pepe but those will have to wait. He doesn't deserve anymore time on this post.

"The battle belonged that morning to the thin, wet line of khaki that dragged itself ashore on the channel coast of France."

General Omar Bradley - US 1st Army Commander

Blessings,

AM