Normandy, France: D-Day Beaches

Why didn't I pay more attention during History class?? Now that we're here and able to plan field trips of history events, bringing them to life, I'm much more interested in the past. After visiting the Normandy Beaches, I had to call my grandpa to see if he had been involved on D-Day when he fought in WWII.

To my huge surprise, he indeed was! How did I never know this? I remember him telling crazy stories about birds hitting the windshield when flying planes in the army, but not that he actually fought on D-Day! He's a Screaming Eagle...a 101st Airborne Division engineer whose job consisted of aiding the paratroopers in their jumps from the plane, obviously fixing the plane if technical difficulties arose, and co-piloting in the case of a pilot being unable to fly. Which presents a humorous story I learned when I called him after our visit to Normandy. He relayed that the co-pilot was starting to go "mad" in the trial of war (understandably so), so the pilot yelled back for Grandpa to "get a monkey wrench." Grandpa proceeded to smack the guy on the head, temporarily knocking him out, drug his loose body out of the co-pilot seat, and took over flying with the pilot.

June 5, 1944, at around 11:00 p.m., Grandpa climbed in the airplane to take 16 of the 82nd Division Paratroopers on C47s into enemy territory. D-Day was here, and my grandpa said he'd be lying if he told me he wasn't scared (at the age of 20).

After visiting these sites, I definitely have a new found respect for not only those men who fought in WWII on the Normandy Beaches, but for all men who have fought in the armed forces for the name of freedom. Pointe du Hoc beach (above)
You can't see from this picture how steep the cliff is.

Rick Steves paints a picture of the event to take over German forces, "For this task, 300 US Army Rangers were hand-picked to attempt a castle-style assault of the German-occupied cliffs, using grappling hooks and ladders borrowed from London fire departments. Try to imagine a fire-engine ladder extending from a bobbing boat in the water far below, and men climbing it to reach the top of the cliff in the heat of the battle."

Below is the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument.

Land awaiting the men who climbed the cliff and were still alive is below.

Craters were created by Allied Forces bombing the German territory days before D-Day.
While visiting Pointe du Hoc, I was bothered at first by my children's desires to run where actual bombs had fallen on the German forces during the war, but this allowed them to inspect the bunkers and pillboxes (huge rotating guns). The rusted spot in the middle housed the swiveling guns.
As other children played, it was obvious this place remained tolerant of noise and exploration while the WWII Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial was a place for respect and silence, which R and J honored well! I was so proud. They questioned the crosses and we discussed men's names, home states, and dates of death.

What a moving site.