Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.’s grave site
On June 12, we visited the US cemetery at Normandy, which is located behind the Omaha Beach invasion site. It was a very surreal moment seeing all of the white crosses and Stars of David all lined up. The gravestones are lined up so that they are always in a row no matter which way you are facing them. If you view them from the side, at an angle, or straight ahead they will always line up with the ones following it.
Gravestones of US soldiers
This is not unusual for an American military cemetery. Anyone who has been to Arlington National Cemetery will find that the gravestones line up exactly like the ones at Arlington.
The area where the cemetery is located is very beautiful, especially with the ocean in the background. Located in the center of the cemetery is a chapel. It is not a place to sit down and have service, but it is a place to visit that honors the sacrifices of these men no matter what religion they may have been. At the front of the cemetery there is a giant monument dedicated to the Normandy invasion and the European theater on either side of the walls. Just behind this monument is a wall with all of the men still missing from the landings at Normandy.
Fallen soldiers still protecting our flag
Many people come to visit the cemetery every year. The people who visit are not just Americans, but they come from all over the world to honor these brave men who gave their lives for freedom. One of the most visited sites at the cemetery is the grave of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. He is buried alongside his brother Quentin Roosevelt, who was killed during World War I. His grave and his brother’s grave are roped off from the public to help keep them intact. Otherwise the grass around them would be destroyed due to the high foot traffic.
The whole experience at the cemetery was sad. There were so many graves (around 9,000).
An unknown US soldier
Not all of them are from the Normandy landings. Some are from other locations during the fighting in the Normandy area following the landings. Many of the families had their relatives sent back home once they had fallen in battle, so the cemetery is not as big as it would be if all of the men who had fallen were still buried there. Any American who is in Europe needs to go and see the cemetery because these men not only gave their lives for them, but for the people of Europe too. They need to be remembered and honored by not just the Americans, but by the people of the world.
Coming to France was not a big culture shock, but it sure is different from American culture. I have had many different experiences with their culture, such as how to eat for one example. French people seem more sophisticated when it comes to eating food. They eat their pizza with a fork and knife, which is different from picking it up with your hands and eating it, which is what I do and still do over here after using the fork and knife for a little bit. Another thing French people do with food is eat their fries with a fork using mayonnaise as a dipping sauce instead of ketchup. This seemed weird to me, but I tried the mayonnaise with the fries and it tasted okay. The French also eat meals slower than Americans do. They will sit down for a meal at dinner time for several hours and slowly eat their meal; they do not rush through it and the restaurant owners are not as worried about flipping tables as quickly as the American restaurants do.