I broke down and paid for a guided tour of the landing beaches of Normandy. I have always been a amature WWII history buff. I have watched The Longest Day about 500 times. Every time Carol would bust me watching it I would try to convince her it was a new WWII movie I had never seen. It worked about 5 times till she started to recognize some of the parts of the movie.
It started at 7am which meant I had to get up at 5am and find my way to the place. I got there about 6:45am. I tried to find a Starbucks but couldn't. Right across the street was a coffee shop. I stepped in and got a double espresso. When I got the bill I almost asked the guy to laugh out load in my face so I would feel better for being a foul for stepping into this place to get coffee. 4.70 Euros for two shots of espresso. that's almost $7.50.
On the bus and off we go. What can I say.... Well, I got to fulfill a life long dream to stand on the beach of Omaha. I took some great pictures and will never forget the feeling of awe and somber reflection of that day when 10,000 American men in their 20s died on this beach. To think about courage of the men left alive to continue on while their friends died around them.
I was going to write about the tour and some of the things that bugged me but when I was standing on sacred ground and reflect on the suffering and sacrifice all these men made, how bad could any day be for anyone? How easy it is to fall into trivial problems and make them more than they really are. To think all these great men died on the 6th of June 1944 so that I could have the freedom to ride on a bus and feel pissy about something.
It makes me think and ask if my freedom and my life been worth thier sacrifice? I think about the person Carol was and how she lived a life in-spite of knowing she was going to die any moment of any day. In-spite of her suffering, she still thought about me and how to make my life better. At the risk of getting hate mail from those who think differently, I think Carol and the men who died on that beach had a lot in common when it comes to character and courage. I think of my own character and courage and doubt that I could ever be a tenth of the person these men and Carol where.
I may not have known these men, but I knew who these men were.
kel
1 comment:
Hi Kelly,
I'm enjoying reading about your experiences, especially retracing the World War II battle grounds. My dad, as you know, was in the Army in Europe during the war.
And, I fully agree with you to compare Carol with those brave soldiers. However you're facing sudden death, a courageous heart is as necessary as a flak jacket.
Cousin Merle
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