Our last excursion with Bob's parents was a trip to Normandy viewing the historic beaches of D-Day, June 6, 1944. Bob's dad is a WWII veteran and was a celebrity throughout the day. We had a personal tour guide who traveled with us along the shores.
Not all the landscape is a beach. Some is marked with jagged cliffs and low marshland. The marker below shows the direction out to sea in which Primo's boat was docked.
The girls in a German bunker at Pointe du Hoc
Bob and his dad walking along the shore at Omaha Beach.
Primo and Mary at the Navy Memorial. Primo is touching the inscription with the name of his ship.
Primo signing in at the American WWII Cemetery. After being officially greeted, he was given a French and an American flag.
At the end of the day, Primo was given the honor of retiring the American Flag at the American Cemetery. This is the site of 9,000 American graves from WWII.
Primo was revered and applauded by all the visitors to the museum. School children asked him questions in French about his experience with their teachers translating. One woman told of her experiences as a 17 year old during the war in German occupied France. She thanked Primo over and over for his service to his country and hers as tears streamed down her face. It was an unforgettable day.
I loved the pictures. It made me misty-eyed to read how respectful and appreciative complete strangers were. It really makes me see a difference.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing experience!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteYour Aunt Mary & I had the opportunity to visit Normandy and it is really a sobering and inspiring experience. Seeing your account of how Primo was received makes me value even more the sacrifices made by his generation. Seeing the pictures and reading your notes made me happy and tearful.
Love, Uncle Jerry
What an amazing day! I have to show my husband your blog. You can really feel the emotion.
ReplyDeleteWonderful!
Julie, THe folks read your every word. Its makes them feel like they're sharing your life with them.
ReplyDeleteJulie...Tom here after reading this entry it reminded me about my favorite museum here in Belgium. It is call the Remember musueum. It is not fancy but is owned by Marcell & Mathilda Schmidt. I will give you a DVD to watch and I highly recommend you to visit this museum and also the Henri Chappelle cemetary. This will be a full day trip as they are tremendous people who have dedicated their lives to remember the US military personnel and the 1st infantry division. I will give you the info on Thursday when we meet for lunch.
ReplyDelete