Normandy day 2

Sunday we woke up early for breakfast and our trip to the American cemetery and Omaha beach. It was cold and rainy on Sunday, which was sad because we couldn't spend as much time as we would have liked outside.

The museum was once again amazing.  When we got there, there was a D-Day vet just leaving, and he talked with the group a little. Unfortunately I came in at the end as I was towards the end of the line to get through security.  He told us where to go to learn more about his division, so here you go:
http://heroesofoldhickory.com/4-the-veterans.html
I'm pretty sure the man who stopped to talk was Frank Deegan. I'm so sad I missed it, I walked up just as he was saying good bye. =(

Anyway, the museum was really well laid out and interesting, and I tried to read everything.  Here's a picture of a label I thought was particularly good.

Informative, interesting, and to the point. Mad props to the label writer at this museum, they were all really good. And I know how hard it is to do that.

There was a film showing about individual soldiers' stories, which also made cry.  After the museum part, there was a hall to walk through with a voice reading the name of each soldier buried at the cemetery. Over 9,000 young men (and a few women) are buried there.  After the hallway there was a memorial to the sacrifices made by the soldiers with several individual stories highlighted. The photo doesn't really capture the feeling of the room.

 There was also this, which almost made me cry once again.

Then we went down on the beach.

Can you imagine seeing this as you get off a landing craft, except with barbed wire, bodies, bullets, and bunkers everywhere?  I can't either.

It was windy. I wanted a picture of myself there, but I wasn't sure if I should really smile? I mean, I was happy to be there but it's not really a happy place.

 Then we went back up to the cemetery.

 This statue is called Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.

A Nebraskan. Thank you.

A map of the invasion.

The chapel was also gorgeous, but unfortunately my camera decided not to work very well so I'll have to see if I can "borrow" someone else's photos.

It was a really wonderful, moving, powerful trip but once again not nearly long enough.  I need two weeks there, and three notebooks for all the information and stories.  Someday!