Memorial Day

Like a lot of Americans, I usually take Memorial Day for granted and enjoy it as the start of summer and a three day weekend. But this Memorial Day, I'm thinking about the day I spent at the American Cemetary in Normandy, France last summer. The rows upon rows of grave markers were beautiful and eerie at the same time. It was so still there. So many young men sacrificed everything for the welfare of their country and to free those oppressed by the evil forces of the Nazis.

We walked on the beach at Omaha where numerous French families were enjoying a perfect summer day splashing in the waves and picnicing on the beach. My brother-in-law pointed out how flat and wide the beaches were. How it was through sheer numbers the American forces were able to overcome the Germans entrenched on the cliffs above.

We walked through the battlefield at Point du Hoc, and saw the remains of the German bunkers - cement bunkers and gun stations dug deep in the earth and protected with barbed wire. The land there is forever scarred.

Today I remember the artifacts I saw last summer that speak of the sacrifices those soldiers made, and I appreciate the sacrifices that have been made in the more recent past by others serving and protecting our country.