Day 31

I am sitting in the train station to change my day of departure to Paris from the 13th to the 14th. I will then stay 2 nights in Paris until the 16th. At that time I will travel back to Ostrava on the 17th. That will put me back in the CZ on Saturday. I will eliminate the stopover in Frankfurt, but I can always go back to Germany. It is a long trip to get all the way out to Omaha beach. I still feel that some force or someone has called me to be here. Until I understand that reason, I will stay.

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1st Tank, Churchill Crocodile, Grand Bretagne 1944.
2nd Tank, Destroyer M-10, US Army 1943.
3rd Tank, Sherman M-4 A1, "Given to honor the sacrifices of the past that have provided hope for the future.", HQ VII Corps, US Army.

Bulldozer, landed on Omaha beach June 6th, 1944. Lent to the Canadian forces to clear Caen. Remained in active service until 1954.

Here is a copy of the orders of the day that I read in the museum.



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I write with still a heavy heart. After traveling the coast of Normandy, I went to Omaha beach and the U.S. cemetery that is located on the bluff that these young men fought and died to establish a beachhead. There are so many white crosses and stars of David. So many men, so brave they were to talk straight into Hell on Earth. While standing on the beach looking up at the bluff, I asked myself, "Could I have done this? Would I have been able to survive the first wave? Could I lay down my life so that others would not have to die?"

I am overcome by emotions. I brought with me knowledge, I am leaving with memories. The beaches looked so different today. Peaceful. The shells have all fallen silent. The scarred earth is all that remains to tell the story of the epic battle that raged on this beach on June 6th, 1944. The bunkers are slowly decaying. Bomb craters will, in time, fill with soil. All history will someday be covered as Longfellow wrote in Blades of Grass. The craters will be gone. The concrete will deteriorate. All that will be left will be the written word and photographs. Many of the veterans have already died. Their families will be the only connection to this place. (A church bell rings in the distance).

Yes, the men of D-Day will never be forgotten. At least not in my heart. I weep again. I see their faces in photographs. How young and worry free.... That face changes while looking at pictures of men while in the LST. The gaze is fixed - focused. The picture that sums it up for me is a picture of a rifleman on his way into Omaha beach that morning. He has a stubbled face and is chewing his gum nervously. If I had been there, I hope I would have acted like that man: God and Country. I thank them all for their sacrifice.

Years do not Darken
Nor shawdows dim
The beautiful memories
We have of him.

Author Unknown.

Well, I have one disappointing anecdote to a very emotional day, I missed my train to Caen tonight. I had to purchase another room in Bayeux tonight. It is a very nice place to stay with a gentle atmosphere. I am staying with some of the people I toured with today. The house mother has fixed a wonderful dinner. After dinner, a bottle of wine was opened and we all shared stories about our adventures. After a day like today, maybe it was a good thing that I missed my train to Caen.