Rangers who rest in the soils they liberated photos courtesy Honorary S&D, Franck Maurouard, France
Situated above Omaha Beach, a place where the American military suffered staggering casualties on D-Day, the American cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer contains the remains of nearly 10,000 servicemen who died during the Normandy campaign. With marble crosses and Stars of David stretching as far as the eye can see, the cemetery is a solemn, breathtaking experience that all Americans should share.
Omaha Beach is accessible from the cemetery atop the bluffs. The World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel in the village of Colleville-sur-Mer, France. It is just east of St. Laurent-sur-Mer and northwest of Bayeux about one hundred and seventy miles west of Paris. The cemetery is located on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, that was established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944, the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II.
