D-Day 65 years later

We recently returned from a trip to England and France where we observed and participated in the ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. It was a moving experience.

My son-in-law, Arthur Douglas, volunteers as a docent at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, so it was only natural for him to suggest we visit the site for the 65th anniversary of that historic invasion. He also invited a neighbor, Frank Levandoski, to join us.

After arriving in London and checking into a hotel, we spent our first day sightseeing. Other members of our anniversary tour group began to arrive. E-mail friends from Maine, Connecticut and Tennessee, as well as other veterans and their families, made up our compatible group of 25.

We left London by bus on June 4, negotiating heavy morning traffic to arrive at the entrance to the English Channel tunnel called the “Chunnel.” There, we boarded the special “roll on-roll-off” vehicle transporter railroad car that would carry us — in the bus — under the English Channel.

The 31-mile trip (not for the claustrophobic!) took about 55 minutes, and we arrived in Calais on the coast of France. From there, we drove to Deauville, our base for the next four nights.

The next day, Friday, June 5, we visited the British cemetery at Douvres. There, we witnessed the laying of wreaths and other tributes to the fallen heroes. On the way, we paused to witness a massed parachute jump into farm fields near the town of Ranville.

After the ceremonies in the British cemetery, we headed to Arromanches. After a delay, we watched ceremonies in the town square that were being televised all over France.

From there, we went on to see the few remaining German gun emplacements. Set into thick concrete bunkers, these guns were a major threat to invading forces, raining down fire. Finally, before returning to our hotel, we saw the British (Gold and Sword) and Canadian (Juno) beaches.

The next day, June 6, was the Big Day.

We headed for Pointe Du Hoc where American Ranger forces scaled high cliffs to spike German guns that threatened the American forces on both Utah and Omaha beaches.

We arrived at noon in the parking area for the Normandy American Cemetery. After passing through airport-type security checkpoints, we were seated in the mall between the grave plots. Large TV screens displayed the action on the podium.

We heard speeches by French President Sarkozy, British Prime Minster Brown, Canadian Prime Minister Harper and American President Obama. Britian’s Prince Charles was in attendance.

As usual, President Obama gave a very appropriate speech, touching the right tone for the day’s significance in history.

President Sarkozy spoke in French, of course, and it was not translated to us. (EDITOR’S NOTE: On his return, he learned what Sarkozy said, an eloquent speech in which the French president wondered what the young British, American and Canadian men were thinking as their boats approached the coastline, a thin strip on the horizon where 50,000 young Germen men awaited. They were young men in whose hands destiny had put the fate of so many.)

Music was provided by both an excellent choral group and a wonderful military band. National anthems were played. When the speech-making was over, taps was sounded, and 21-gun salute followed. The climax was a fly-over by three groups of four delta-winged jets.

At the ceremonies’ completion, the audience had to remain until the VIPs had departed in their helicopters. The entire ceremony was exciting, poignant and very well carried-out. Then, as we boarded our bus and as if on cue, the skies opened up and it began to rain.

Sunday, our last full day in France, began with a visit to the quaint seaside village of Port-en-Bessin, an important fuel and communication point, then on to Omaha Beach. Here we saw many monuments that mark areas of the deadliest fighting. It must have evoked a feeling of reverence for everyone spoke in hushed tones.

On that day, Omaha Beach was so peaceful!

As I sat on the sea wall overlooking the beach, my mind’s eye went back 65 years to that frightful day. What must it have been like? One can only imagine the absolute terror. The overwhelming sound, louder than a thousand claps of thunder. The blinding smoke. The heaving concussions of exploding shells, and these heavy explosions throwing up sand and bodies. The shrieks of the wounded and the dying. The carnage must have been enormous.

I’m sure it was like Amageddon for each man.

And through it all, many young guys, some from Bedford, did what they had to do.

And so I sat on the sea wall and prayed for those wonderful men, who sacrificed so much for me and our future generations. We owe them an enormous debt, and they must not be forgotten.

Leaving Omaha, we traveled through the famed hedge-row country en route to Sainte-Mere-l’Eglise. A stone monument marks the site where Gen. Pratt’s glider crashed into a high hedgerow. He was the first general officer killed in the invasion.

Nearby, we went into a farm field to witness a massive parachute drop. Five transport planes dropped hundreds and hundreds of paratroopers.

Our last day in France was in Sainte-Mere-l’Eglise. This town is the focal point for D-Day events. Vendors sold all manner of goods and foods. Also, there was a midway featuring carnival rides as well as a special portable stage with continuous performances.

We visited the famed Musée Airborne and the Catholic Church. Both face the town square. This church was the site of the notable snagging of a paratrooper in 1944. Today, a replica of his parachute adorns the church roof.

The town also swarmed with many people re-playing roles of American GIs — just the way Civil War buffs re-enact that war’s battles in Virginia. There was also a number of aged, beribboned veterans, who were applauded by passersby.

That evening, the Exhibition Hall became the site for a massive buffet to honor all veterans and their families. (It being France, the food was good, despite the size of the crowd.)

The next day, June 8, we made one more stop: the Pegasus Bridge Memorial Museum in the area. The early capture of this key bridge, by British glider troops, helped secure the beaches for the later amphibious assaults.

We had seen all we were to see. The tour returned us to London, and we headed home.

We look forward to the 70th D-Day anniversary.