Excursions

I harbor a deep appreciation for our visit to Normandy. I’ve been wanting to see the site of D-Day since the last time I was in France almost four years ago. Being born well outside the timeline of graphic hand to hand combat in war, being on the actual beach where so much blood was shed made me feel more connected to my American history. Taking this trip made the atrocities of World War II feel much more real. I was astounded at the amount of graves at the memorial site as well. Even more suprising was the fact that those graves all had bodies, with a seperate section dedicated to all of the lost soldiers who could not have their bodies burried. The sight of everything forces you to acknowledge the price of war.

Normandy was definitely a very confusing emotional experience for me. I was excited and interested to see Normandy, but at the same time, I felt uneasy being excited to see a place where such a tragedy had occurred. The experience was super interesting though. Being able to go inside the bunkers and see what it was like to be underground in that exact location was crazy. I learned about the deep holes in the ground and how they are from bombs, and that was the coolest thing to see. We learned about the tapestry as well which I did not know about before. I will take forward the memories of the location and how the crosses were done with such detail and care. The location and execution of the memorial was done so well and truly makes for an amazing peaceful spot to honor so many lives. I will remember this whole experience forever. It was such a memorable day and I am really glad we got to see Normandy.

While the day at Normandy was defiantly heavy, I took a lot away from the experience. Getting to be in same area that such an important moment in history happened was an experience I don’t take for granted. On one of the beaches there were some signs that had pictures and information about some of the soldiers that lost their lives there. I was particularly moved by one man who was my age. I took a second to think about how he probably had no idea that all these years later people would still be learning about him. One thing that shocked me was when we got to Omaha beach and saw so many people laying out and swimming. It was hard to imagine spending free time there knowing what had happened.

Visiting to Normandy was a very somber and thoughtful event. I was very surprised to see the giant dents in the ground from bombs during the D-Day operation, it was something I had never thought about. After our tour guide explained what it was, I felt a little silly that I had never considered how bombs would leave such a long lasting effect on the Earth. Omaha was specifically emotionally difficult for me, because of the other people at the beach. There were many people who were tanning and playing in the water. This was hard to watch, knowing what had happened on that very same beach 80 years ago. Especially after watching Saving Private Ryan, I had a very visual image in my head of what had happened, and yet people were enjoying summer vacation on this very same beach. Another emotional setting was the cemetery. I particularly felt strong emotion when our guide explained that some of the gravestones will say “A comrade in arms known but to God”, meaning that the soldier who died was not able to be ID’d and was most likely a name written on the Walls of the Missing.

The Normandy experience was extremely surreal. It provoked many emotions for me, seeing the actual sites of bombings and bunkers made me think of the fear felt by all those in the build-up of D-Day as well as the day itself. I learned so much about the tactics for either military side from our tour guide, and what all went into the planning and execution. I thought it was interesting to hear the individual stories about the two rangers finding the cannons on a stroke of luck. Over time, I think the image of the rows of gravestones will be embedded in my head. Picturing the families coming to that beautiful cemetery to pay their respects and grieve brings pain to my heart. While we were leaving and they began to lower the flag and play, “Taps,” to commemorate those lost was a heartfelt moment.

The Normandy trip was an eye-opening experience that helped me better understand D-Day and its lasting effects. I learned that Germany’s military set up base in Normandy, and that’s how they were able to attack. I knew that they took over that part of France during the war, but I didn’t know they had a whole base. Seeing their bunkers was very interesting and gave me a better visual of how they could do everything they did. I also was unaware that they had slaves from France build their bunkers. What surprised me was the number of people who stayed buried in Normandy because it was an overwhelming number of young men. It was emotional to comprehend what entirely happened there and made me think about how unfair and devastating war is. I will never forget seeing Omaha Beach and being able to reflect on everything I’ve learned in the exact spot it happened. 

Going to Normandy was very thought-provoking for me. Walking through Pointe de Huc and seeing the enormous dents in the ground from the bombs was something very unexpected for me, but it made things feel so much more real. This visual representation of history there was not something I had been expecting. Visiting Omaha was very hard for me in that there were many people on the beach enjoying the sun and playing in the water, just enjoying a nice summer beach day. It was hard to see the happiness on the beach today while thinking back to all the lives lost on the same beach. The most impactful part of the day for me was definitely the cemetery. Seeing the vast visual of endless graves really put into perspective how much blood was shed. The unmarked graves of those who were never identified also really weighed heavy on my heart, knowing someone is there but we will never know who.

Normandy as a town was so beautiful. When we visited, it was calm and scenic. Going into the day trip and being aware of the history behind certain places, it was definitely a somber day. To be completely honest, the cemetery was when it truly hit me of the realness of the history. I appreciated watching of taking down the flag in the cemetery. I also appreciated connecting parts of history with actual places. I was surprised that people swam at Omaha beach because I thought the history would be overwhelming for people to enjoy it. But after thinking about it, I think it’s nice that people are able to understand the history but still enjoy a beautiful area. Most likely I will remember the cemetery and the rows of white crosses. I will remember the five senses of being there.

The trip to Normandy was very impactful for me. I have always enjoyed visiting special places and appreciating the energy and history of its past. Especially after watching Saving Private Ryan, being in Normandie was really really interesting. It felt like I could see the soldiers on the battle grounds we were walking over. One thing I was excited about was getting to go down into the actual bunkers. Touching the walls and looking around the pitch black rooms underground helped me imagine what it looked like when it was populated with ammo and guns. My favorite part was how our tour guide was so knowledgable about what happened everywhere we walked during world war 2, down to the names of some soldiers. The cemetery was really saddening. Looking around at the vast number of tombstones was so eye opening to the reality of war-how many people sacrifice their lives for us to live in the United States so easily. The entire excursion was a day I will never forget, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity!

This experience was very impactful and intense. I was very interested to see the actual bunkers at Point Du Hoc that were used by the Germans and to see the craters from the bombs that are still in the ground today. I was imagining what it would be like to hear the violence and bombings from inside the bunker which is terrifying. Before getting to Point du Hoc and Omaha beach I had sort of a grey image in my head because of the horrible things that happened there. When we got to Point du Hoc and Omaha beach my first thought was how beautiful it is. The water was so blue and inviting and the greenery was gorgeous. I was surprised to see how Omaha beach was being used like any regular beach. There were families laying out, people swimming, and children playing in the sand. I thought it was going to be a strict historical sight out of respect for what happened there. What I will take away most from this trip was the details I learned about each site from our tour guide. An image that will stick with my forever was the hundreds of white crosses that resemble the lives lost.