Ronald Reagan Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion D-Day - (204,887 views).
A. Welborn - PHOTOS: Our family visited Omaha Beach, the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, on Memorial Day, May 27, 2013, and the World War II Museum nearby in Bayeux, France. As Rush mentions above, nothing really prepares you as you stand on the beach and look out over the water trying to imagine the events on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Some of the staggering statistics that occurred that day (1) 4,000 ships in the fleet (2) 5,800 bomber planes (3) 4,900 fighter planes (4) 153,000 troops (5) 20,000 vehicles (6) 11,000 casualties (7) 2,500 dead (8) 2,052,299 men came ashore following D-Day (9) 3,098,259 tons of stores (10) 640,000 Germans killed, wounded or taken prisoner in the Battle of Normandy. Our visit to the American Cemetery was quite moving especially visiting on Memorial Day, viewing all the flags that had been placed next to the crosses in the ceremony the day before. At the Bayeux Museum Bookstore I purchased the book, 'The Longest Day' by Cornelius Ryan, reading a third on the way home. What a book, so many questions were answered about the preparations and events leading up to that infamous day. His book reads like a novel based on the numerous and extensive interviews Mr. Ryan conducted with so many people involved, as well as his own involvement on D-Day. The following are some of the many photos I took on our visit. It was truly the trip of a lifetime and the highlight of my trip to France. My father who passed away 3 years ago, was a Navy pilot during World War II. He was not involved with D-Day, but I grew up hearing so much about this war and his involvement, which made this trip so meaningful to me. Someday, if possible, I encourage others to try to visit Normandy, and to witness and experience this important time in our history.

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