Visit the D Day beaches

“It was a surreal experience because it was so peaceful that day. It felt, for at least awhile, like my mom and I were the only people walking on the beach. I had my bare feet in the sand and I tried to comprehend how horrific D-Day must have been. This quiet, serene place turned into a hell on earth. Looking back toward land, knowing how well-covered it was by the Germans, I found myself overwhelmed, astonished, and emotional.”

“Bright and early the next morning, my wife and I got in our rental car and made the short drive (about 20 minutes) from Bayeux to Omaha Beach. A strong wind blew as we got out. And then, I finally saw it—the huge beach where my grandfather fought. I immediately wanted to go down to the sand, to feel it, to touch it. Near the water, I bent down and scooped some up in my hands. It was cold, wet, grayish black.”

“As I held it, all I could think about was my grandfather who, seventy-five years earlier, had stormed this very beach. What struck me the most was that the beach seemed the same as what I had seen in pictures from 1944. It was almost as though I might walk a bit further and find my grandfather’s boot prints. The experience was extremely cathartic. It was emotional. Here lay a battlefield, one that shaped so many lives.”