Véronique Gray had a moving experience at Omaha Beach and at the American Military Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer

If you happen to take the ferry to Caen or drive through Normandy, take a close look at your map. The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach is well worth the detour. It is a 45-minute drive northwest of Caen.

Among the 14 World War II American cemeteries in foreign lands, this one is the most well known. No other cemetery in Normandy contains as many American remains. The 9,387 marble graves are organized in 10 square sections, set on a very well cared for lawn. Two graves belong to the Roosevelt’s family, two sons of the American President Teddy Roosevelt.

You will need at least one hour to go through the site. There is a visitor centre at the entrance, a chapel, a memorial to pay tribute to the missing soldiers and a large pond. While walking in the cemetery along the beautiful tree path and in between the graves, you will probably recognize the place if you watched the movie Saving Private Ryan, as the first and last scenes were filmed there.

The cemetery opened 64 years ago this year. French President René Coty and American General George Marshall inaugurated it on July 18, 1956. It was built on a plot of land, which the French gave to the Americans. Today, the American government completely finances the maintenance of the site and keeps it also open on American holidays.

The cemetery overlooks the cliff of Omaha beach, the major D-Day landing beach of June 6, 1944. It is there that most men lost their life that day. The observation table is a good place to stand and reflect on the brave American men who died as heroes at Omaha. An estimated number of 23,000 Americans died to liberate Normandy during World War II.

As it is only about 600 feet to Omaha beach, it would be a shame not to go there for a stroll or a swim. Looking at this peaceful sandy beach today, it is hard to imagine that the American forces suffered more than 2000 casualties in just one day, causing it to be nicknamed ‘Bloody Omaha’.

Veronique Gray published this article in Destination France Magazine.

About the author

Véronique Gray is French. She was an expat in Berlin and Frankfurt after living almost 10 years in the States. She calls Zurich her home since 2006. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Vivamost. She is an entrepreneur, who opened her first business at the age of 25 in Atlanta. After a BA in history and graduating with honours from the University of Atlanta, she later studied journalism. She has been published in various magazines in Great Britain, Canada, France and the USA. In 2009 she started Vivamost after the birth of her son. In 2015 she opened another business in America while continuing to run Vivamost. When she is not writing, you can find her painting, a passion she found later in life. So today when she travels she can’t leave without a pencil or her brushes. She also likes hiking, learning languages, going to the cinema, listening to music and meeting interesting people.

• 1944
• American Cemetery
• Bloody Omaha
• casualities
• cemetery
• Colleville-sur-mer
• D-Day landing beach of June 6
• France
• General George Marshall
• Normandy
• Omaha Beach
• René Coty
• Roosevelt
• WWII