"Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial " a Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer Travel Page by ExGuyParis

The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Colleville-sur-Mere, about 18 km northwest of Bayeux and just east of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mere. It is the resting place of 9,387 Americans killed in the D-Day invasion of Normandy which began on June 6, 1944.

This 173 acre cemetery was given to the US by France for permanent use, free of charge or taxation.

It is a paradoxical place; incredibly beautiful and peaceful, yet a chilling reminder of the horrors and violence of war. As you walk by the crosses and Stars of David, and look at the names inscribed on each, you realize that each is a marker of a shattered life, of a distressed family, of an opportunity lost.

The cemetery is open from April 16 to September 30, 8h00 to 18h00 daily. In the winter (October 1 through April 15), the hours are 8h00 to 17h00 daily.

Winter roses grace the graves. It was an an incredibly chilly day, and it had rained earlier in the morning... but the sun burst throught the clouds and illuminated a brilliant winter day.

This Memorial hosts the bronze statue "The Spirit of American Youth Rising From the Waves," sculpted by Donald De Lue (an American from New Jersey). On the two side walls, mosaic battle plans illustrate the scope of the Normandy invasion. Behind the Memorial, you can visit "The Garden of the Missing." Here are engraved the names of 1,557 additional military personnel whose remains were never recovered or positively identified.