D-Day — Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial


On this Memorial Day weekend I’ll repeat this photo series from 2012:

Map of the D-Day Normandy Invasion

The map depicted above overlooks Omaha Beach. Behind that map lies the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

This military cemetery is a territorial concession granted by France to the United States, so this ground is fully administered and maintained by the U.S. government.

Some of the 1,557 names of unrecovered or missing U.S. servicemen from D-Day

There are 9,387 graves here, of which 307 contain the remains of unknown persons. All but one of those interred lost their lives during WWII. The exception is a grave from a lone casualty from WWI. Quentin Roosevelt, who was reinterred next to his brother Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

The memorial and reflection pond face east toward the closest point of the United States, between Lubec and Eastport in Maine.

The Memorial faces east toward the U.S.
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Memorial Week Part 3


USS Arizona's final resting place

USS Arizona’s final resting place

This week I commemorate Memorial Day with repeat articles from the Normandy American Memorial Cemetery and Memorial, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. Next week I will commemorate the 73rd anniversary of one of the greatest invasions in military history, the D-Day Invasion of June 6, 1944.

USS Arizona Memorial:

It’s a short hop, or sail in this case, from Hilo on the Big Island to Honolulu on the island of Oahu.  Ursula and I have been to Oahu too many times to count, as had our frequent cruising companions Lisa and Al Fittipaldi, so this excursion planned by Ursula would forsake the usual in favor of memorializing.  As Al Fittipaldi is retired U.S. Navy (who says Air Force and Navy can’t mix?) Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial seemed a natural.

Ursula (center) with Lisa and Al Fittipaldi

Ursula (center) with Lisa and Al Fittipaldi

For those unfamiliar with World War II history, the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor signaled the entry of the United States into this catastrophic conflict that would eventually involve over 100 nations around the globe.  This conflict in turn lead to a very dangerous nuclear-armed  Cold War that lasted another 44 years, the effects of which we still live with to this day.

USS Arizona Memorial

USS Arizona Memorial

The 26-year-old USS Arizona (BB-39) was blown apart by the Imperial Forces of Japan early that Sunday morning, sinking where she was berthed at the U.S. Naval Station Pearl Harbor.  She took with her 1,177 lives, the vast majority of which were left entombed in the sunken remnants of the ship.

USS Arizona Memorial

USS Arizona Memorial

Visiting the memorial, which straddles the remains of the USS Arizona, is a solemn experience.  Bear in mind that lines are long, so if you decide to take this memorial trek make sure that you make advance reservations.

USS Arizona gun turret

USS Arizona gun turret

Beneath your feet and protruding beyond both sides of the memorial is the rusting hulk of a once might battleship.

USS Arizona

USS Arizona

That battleship to this day still bleeds.  Watch for black oil breaking on the surface of the water and spreading out into a multicolored sheen.

USS Arizona still bleeds oil

USS Arizona still bleeds oil

Inside the memorial you’ll peer down directly over the ship:

USS Arizona Memorial

USS Arizona Memorial

And you’ll come to the wall containing the names of those who lost their lives that day:

USS Arizona Memorial

USS Arizona Memorial

Back ashore after a brief motorboat ride you’ll find two interesting exhibits.  The first is the USS Bowfin (SS-287), a Balao-class submarine that survived nine patrols during the war.

USS Bowfin

USS Bowfin

The other exhibit is the USS Missouri (BB-63), one of four Iowa-class battleships that marked the largest and the last of this class of ships used by the U.S. Navy.  The USS Missouri’s most famous moment occurred on September 2, 1945, when representatives of Empire of Japan stood on her decks and signed the Instrument of Surrender that brought World War II to conclusion.

USS Missouri — the "Mighty Mo"

USS Missouri — the “Mighty Mo”

 

 

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Memorial Week Part 2


 

National Memorial Cemetery of the PacificNational Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

This week I commemorate Memorial Day with repeat articles from the Normandy American Memorial Cemetery and Memorial, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. Next week I will commemorate the 73rd anniversary of one of the greatest invasions in military history, the D-Day Invasion of June 6, 1944.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific:

Lisa and Al Fittipaldi joined Ursula and me for a ride that would take us high above the towering buildings of Honolulu.  Exiting the bus we still had a bit of a hike to our destination.  Along the way we would find spectacular views of Honolulu and Diamond Head.

The view from the Punchbowl

The view from the Punchbowl

Honolulu and Diamond Head

Honolulu and Diamond Head

The sun was settling low on the horizon by the time we reached our objective.

Entrance to the Memorial

Entrance to the Memorial

This is a trip Ursula has wanted to take for quite some time, and we finally made it.  We were in Punchbowl Crater, home of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

The photos below are captioned, so additional words are unnecessary and distracting from this solemn place.  Bearing that in mind, below is today’s photo gallery.  Click on any image below to enlarge and start today’s slide show.

 

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