The few hours we spent at the American Cemetery and the beaches invaded by the American forces were both moving and inspiring. The beaches that Eisenhower chose for the Americans to land were much different than those to be taken by the English and Canadians. Instead of flatlands, the wide Omaha and Utah beaches ended in steep cliffs, causing many more casualties for the American troops. I had seen these cliffs in movies and film clips, but could only imagine the horror the soldiers felt when they saw them for the first time from the sea.

Over 2,000 Americans died on bloody Omaha Beach alone.
We stopped at the impressive American cemetery at Colleville Saint Laurent and walked in awe among the Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David markers. Seeing so many young men's graves, most dated during the summer of 1944, was moving for all who were there. The cemetery overlooks part of Omaha Beach, and is high upon the cliff with a beautiful view of the English Channel. The cemetery is maintained by the U.S. Government. Our tax dollars are certainly at work here, because the grounds were immaculate.

A monument on the grounds of the cemetery contains a statue honoring the dead and diagrams and maps of the invasion. There is also a beautiful garden and the Tablets of the Missing--a list of all of the soldiers missing in action similar to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. Our guide walked with us to point out the two graves of the Niland brothers, a family whose story is memorialized in the movie "The Saving of Private Ryan".

President Theodore Roosevelt's son is also buried at Colleville Saint Laurent, although he did not die during the Normandy invasion.

After spending about an hour at the cemetery, we boarded the bus and drove the short distance to our last stop, Pointe du Hoc. This high cliff overlooking the sea still had many remains from the War, and Pointe du Hoc was an important landing site for the Americans. Sources had told the Allies this point was an important battery with many guns and stored ammunition. The Allies sent 225 Army Rangers to scale the cliffs and take the Pointe. Only 90 survived. Interestingly, some of the source information was flawed. The German guns were not on the Pointe, they had been moved inland and were in firing position prepared to decimate American troops landing on Omaha and Utah Beaches. The Rangers that landed on the Pointe quickly moved inland and were able to destroy the guns before the Germans could put them into action. Had the Americans not landed on the Pointe, it would have been much later in the day (if at all) before any troops could have taken on the German position, by which time more American troops, ships and landing vessels could have been targeted, potentially threatening the success of the landings across the entire American sector, and therefore the success of the entire operation.

Pointe du Hoc looked much like it must have in the years immediately following the war. Many bunkers remain, and you can see holes where shells exploded. The ground is very uneven, and we were told to stay on the paths to avoid sprained ankles or worse. Children were playing in the old bunkers, and many of them were connected by a series of underground tunnels. We only stayed at Pointe du Hoc for about 20 minutes, but that was ample time to get a sense of the fierceness of the battle there.

The only really bad part of the day came at the end. We started the 2 1/2 hour non-stop ride back to the ship at 4:30. The bus was modern, but had the worst leg room of any of the buses we would ride on the next 2 weeks of our northern European cruise. Many slept fitfully on the return drive back to the ship, either because they could not get comfortable in the cramped seats or because of the memorable day we had shared.