We'll always Remember:
Picture :Statue:The youth coming out of the sea.
Air photo:American cemetery
The American Normandy War cemetery is located in Colleville-Sur-Mer,you reach it when coming from Ste-Honorine-des-Pertes following the D514 ,once you're entering Colleville-Sur-Mer,you pass by the town church,still following the D514 you'll follow the markings mentioning Le Hammeau au Braye,at the end of the road you'll see a round about with a marble arrow that indicates the US Cemetery.So at that round about you'll turn to the right to reach the cemetery.
Picture:The marble arrow.
A long straight road leads you,passing by beautyful green meadows, to the main entrance of the American cemetery , the road ends up in an unmarked round about,arrived at that point you'll see a gate braced into a huge marble wall,behind that wall you'll find magnificent professionaly cutted meadows , Buxus hedgerows and trees,in the wall they engraved the mention "Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial".This is the main entrance,once you enter you'll follow the arrows to the comfortable parking space,situated on your right side.
Picture:The road leading towards the cemetery.
Picture:The main entrance.
When you enter the cemetery site , you'll encounter in first the visitors house,here you'll find pamphlets written in three languages,telling all about the cemetery and the meaning of the monuments present on it. On the overside of that small building you'll find ,just before you realy enter the graveyard,the general Eisenhower timecapsule, in this capsule ,that can not be opened before 2044,maps, texts and press reports were put under ground in a container tube.What they 'll have to tell us isn't surely known yet ,we've to wait for the 100 years anniversary of D-Day. Now you're accessing a straight path that brings you to the graveyard and memorial.
Picture: The Visitors house.
Picture: The Eisenhower timecapsule 
picture: path towards the graveyard.
When you effectively enter the graveyard , you'll encounter on your right side a construction made out of columns,on the left and right walls of it you'll find all the maps of the D-Day operations and the War Operations on the European theatre.in the middle of the memorial stands a huge bronze statue, this statue represents the American youth that came out of the sea to liberate Europe,on her feet you'll following inscription :" MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE COMING OF THE LORD".On the left-and right side of memorial stand two bronze urns created by sculptor Donald De Lue and were moulded in Florence Italy.The first urn shows us a dying horserider,the horse symbolizes the war, the rider the warrior or soldier,above the warrior or rider you'll see an angel,the angel is there to take care of the soul of the dying rider/warrior,further on the urn a woman and a child kneel near a grave of a soldier,a star sparkles above the the grave ,symbolizing the eternal life and an hommage to the women and children who had to live the atrocities of the war and their sacrifices by loosing their loved ones,the laurels round the tombstone are symbol for the victory.On the second urn God is flying above the sea,an angel is pushing a tombstone away to give the soul of the soldier the chance to reach for the hand of God an follow him to the eternal life.In the memorials bow you'll read this inscription: "THIS EMBATTLED SHORE, PORTAL OF FREEDOM,IS FOREVER HALLOWED BY THE IDEALS,THE VALOR AND THE SACRIFICES OF OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN" .
Picture: Memorial
Picture:The Operation maps
Behind the memorial you'll find the garden of the missing,four grass-plots surrounded by colourful flowers and separated by five small paths,who all will lead you to the marble walls in wich the names of 1557 missing soldiers were engraved,these soldiers gave their lives for their country and our freedom,their remains were never found, they came out 49 of the 50 states and the district of Columbia and Guam.The names were engraved in marble tablets all separated by laurels.On the wall you can read the following inscription : " HERE ARE RECORDED THE NAMES OF AMERICANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY AND WHO SLEEP IN UNKNOWN GRAVES.THIS IS THEIR MEMORIAL THE WHOLE EARTH THEIR SEPULTURE.COMRADES IN ARMS WHOSE RESTING PLACE IS KNOWN ONLY TO GOD."On the backside of the memorial bow ,a citation made by general Dwight D.Eisenhower in the golden book of the St-pauls cathedral in London was engraved : "TO THESE WE OWN THE HIGH RESOLVE THAT THE CAUSE FOR WICH THEY DIED SHALL LIVE.
Picture: The Garden of the missing.
Picture: A tablet with names of missing. 
In front of the memorial,separated by the pound of eternal reflection and recollection,you find the burrial place.The burrial place is devided in 10 plots,five on each side of the main path.All over these ten plots you'll find under Latin crosses and Jewish stars of David rest the remains of 9387 soldiers who died in Normandy,307 of them are only known to God,three of them were posthumus awarded with the Medal of Honor,one of them is General Theodore Roosevelt,on this graveyard you'll also encounter the four graves of women who gave their lives in normandy,a father and a sonare burried side by side as also 38 pairs of brothers. In the middle of the path a chapel was erected,were al the religions gather together in remembrance,the altar is flanked on both sides by the flags of the Allied countries that participated in the D-Day landings.The roof of the chapel is decorated with a mosaic,on one side of it you'll see the image of mother America sending her sons into battle and on the other side an image representing mother France taking care of the fallen soldiers.At the end of the main path you'll encounter two statues representing America and France.
Picture: Pound of eternal reflection 
Picture: the graves of the 9387 fallen soldiers.
Picture: The Chapel 
Picture:The Altar.
Picture: Mother America 
picture :mother France.
Picture: The grave of Medal of Honor recipient Th. Roosevelt 
To end our visit we follow the coast path to the panoramic balcony.This balcony gives us a good overview of Omaha beach,from the Fox sector towards the Dog Sector or from Colleville-Sur-Mer towards Vierville-Sur-Mer. In the middle of the balcony stands a table made of blue stone,on the table the D-Day landing map has been engraved,on both sides of the balcony two stairways lead us into the dunes,on your way down on the right side you'll encounter a platform with a second blue stone table in wich the Mullberry Omaha overview map has been engraved,once you are at the end of the stairway you're on Omaha beach.
Picture: The table with landing map Picture: View on the dunes and beach from up the balcony.
Picture: Mulberry Omaha table.
Picture : The stairway towards Omaha Beach.
Sgt Eagle January 2005.
