The beaches of Normandy

Today we are going to visit the beaches of Normandy. We start off our day by taking a train out of the city. We have to get up early in order to get there in time. The place was packed and filled with people, but we made it just in time. We got onto our commuter train and began our journey back in time. The train took about and hour and a half or so. To be blunt I fell asleep the whole way there. Upon our arrival, we found ourselves amidst a very small but rather cute town. The buildings were rather old, the shops were all small and the entire town was relatively quiet. There weren't many cars or people. We decided to stop and get something small to eat before our tour. Despite being a small town, They certainly had a lot of tourism. After our breakfast, we walked around the town for a bit and saw some of the buildings and showed a appreciation for the architecture and the craftsmanship of the buildings within the town. After our self guided tour of the town came to an end as we headed for our tour of the beach. Once we arrived at the meeting place, we met a few other people who were also taking the tour. They happened to be from the United States as well. This made talking much easier and convenient. Our tour guide was a kind woman who was sweet and very informative. Our tour started with an explanation as to how the town was still standing despite its German occupation. It was said that the people who lived here were able to communicate with the Russians that the town was no longer occupied and that they had evacuated. What made this so important was that the town seemed to be only moments away from being bombarded and torn apart by the impending military forces. We drove through the countryside that lied between the beach and the small country town. There were small cottages, hay rolls, farm animals and a chilling breeze all the way to the beach. Once we arrived at the beach we saw a beautiful monument and walked along the destroyed artillery among the wall of the surrounding geographical hills. We saw the remnants of the destroyed bunkers and walked on the beach that many of our soldiers died on.

After walking along the beach we walked up towards the memorial that was made for the artillery soldiers who died breaking down the man made barriers so that infantry could get closer to the bunkers. Their job was the most difficult considering that they had to remain in one place and remove the iron erected barricades. After the memorial we traveled to the much larger and grander memorial site where the soldiers who died were buried among their fellow men. This land is also considered american soil and a place where many fathers, sons, and brothers were put to rest. Our last part of the tour was going to see the tactical location of "The Point" which was a land form used to mount heavy artillery which had view-points in very important tactical locations. Because of the difficult landscape and the danger related to this development, the united states developed the Rangers. A team of highly skilled soldiers who were tactically advanced and trained to take on missions that seemed to challenging for the average soldier. They could be considered a tactical strike team that was sent with the mission to destroy.

Now being on this rather high and inclined site with the remains of heavy artillery bunkers, I looked out into the ocean. For a single moment I imagined my entire life being shifted due to war. I thought of all the people who died on that beach and how many of them thought they would go home. I thought of their suffering. I thought of their sacrifice. I thought of how they had everything I have now, and had to put that aside so that they could protect what was important to them. They were no different then me. They were young, inexperienced, afraid, lost and ridiculously brave. I appreciated the fact that I know I will be able to go home, that I do have a home waiting for me, that my family is there. And the time that I'm here isn't indefinite. I appreciate that I was born in a time where me and my friends and family weren't at war. And from what it seems, that is probably the most marvelous part. I have a new appreciation for time. I have to make sure I don't forget.