Thank you for all the fine words and the great pictures. Unfortunately, we (the Color Guard) could not find that many pictures in the press. Surprisingly, Stars and Stripes had NOTHING!
As my MIL stated, I am still walking on Cloud Nine. This experience ranks pretty high, ahead of my Bosnia tour earlier this year.
As the photos indicate, Normandy is breathtaking and I am sure President Bush will remember the atmosphere. It is a very humbling place, overlooking the English Channel. This is my second time being there, and I look forward to going again with my father-in-law before my tour in Germany is over. Actually, I believe that every American should at least visit one of the many WWI and WWII battlefields and American military cemeteries through Europe and Africa. Seeing the gravesites of all those who made the ultimate sacrifice gives you a better understanding of history and would also generate more respect for our heroes (a word which I think is being used too much lately).
Suzanne and I had an opportunity to visit Normandy last year during the 4th of July weekend. Both of us were surprised to see so many American flags displayed. To be honest, I think I saw more American flags displayed in the Normandy region than in the United States prior to 9/11. Many of the Normans love and support Americans, which is different than the attitude of most of the French, especially in Paris.
During the weekend, we (the Color Guard) resided in the village of Beaux, about 30 Minutes from St. Laurent. The British during the War liberated this village; nevertheless, their love for America was apparent during our stay. Most residents wanted to talk to us and to acknowledge our service to our country, it was very different than when we were in Paris. On our fist night, I met a veteran of WWII who came onto Utah Beach D+30 and remained in Europe for 210 days; his unit was the first to reach the Elba River. His story was amazing - he marched throughout Europe on foot! I told him that I was a member of the 29th ID, and he told me of their story first-hand. Many movies glorify war – his stories were real. One comment he made to me made me feel so proud. He said that we, (today’s military) are the real heroes, we volunteered for service to our country; he was drafted.
There was another distinguished visitor at the service, Secretary of State Powell. While walking to his seat, he stopped in front of us and saluted. All of us were in shock that he was present.
The president arrived via Marine One, and the image of the awesome helicopter flying over the cemetery was pretty cool! Once the helicopter landed, the President was escorted to the seawall and the beach, as the photos show. He was then escorted to the Roosevelt family gravesite for a moment of silence. From there, he gave his amazing speech, which moved everyone. Hearing it in person is so much better than seeing it on TV, you can hear his emotion, and see his body language. After his speech, I cannot tell you what happened ... the American Flag blocked my view. What luck! Throughout practice, we were fighting wind gusts to keep the flags stable, and during the ceremony it was calm ... I believe that someone was ensuring that we would experience great weather.
It was an amazing ceremony and pictures cannot express the emotions that were in the air. I honestly believe that President Bush was touched by this event. Hearing the National Anthem, carrying the American flag and then listening to Taps, it was difficult to hold back tears. We remained in position for almost 2 hours during the ceremony, and another 60 minutes for pictures; I overheard a soldier say that we were the most photographed unit during the ceremony. Everyone, including members of Congress, the French Government, and French citizens wanted a picture of us and to take a picture with us. Again, thank you for posting the pictures of us because the press did not.
I will forward additional photos to my MIL and will try to post some here and on our web site.