Operation Honor Inspiration

Operation Honor: In loving memory of Colonel Albert E. McCollam, 1914-2004

Loving son, husband, daddy, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend. Disciplined, loving, musical, intelligent, affectionate, diligent, humorous. West Point graduate, combat engineer of World War II, D-Day Omaha Beach survivor, veteran of the Korean War, and the inspiration for Operation Honor. His cherished memory lives on in his four children, twelve grand-children, and thirty-one great-grandchildren. We love and miss you, Papa; thank you for all you did to inspire us to be here today!

Operation Honor: D-Day, Normandy Style

"What was D-Day in Normandy like?"

This question, posed to us upon our return by family, friends, and acquaintances, has been perplexing for us as we process our time in Normandy and all that we saw and did there. Although the entire trip was deeply emotional, D-Day was especially so. How do you take a thousand feelings from a profoundly moving day and put it into words? The things you see, and the feelings you have when you see the deep gratitude of a nation liberated from the horrors of Nazism cannot easily be translated into words. "It was great" or even "Amazing- it was life changing" simply doesn't do it justice.

 How do you explain what it feels like to look into the cloudy eyes of the elderly men who, seventy years ago, fought their way up the the long stretches of deadly beaches in defense of people that many of them would never meet? How do you share the feelings of overwhelming sorrow you experience when you walk slowly past the rugged concrete structure of a German artillery nest, whose battered guns still point down onto the beach where your countrymen were once cut down? How do you explain what it felt like to see little French girls running alongside a D-Day veteran to kiss his hands and call out thanks? To walk along the beach that was the place of death for thousands of young men who were never given the chance to live, to love, to become proud fathers...to grow old.

Flags and flowers were placed along the entire coastline on the evening of June 6th*

Where words fail, though, pictures can sometimes do justice. The pictures below are not just the ones we took on June 6th*, but pictures taken by many people from all along the Normandy coast. We hope that these photos will give you an idea of the celebration we witnessed...for those who want to see a glimpse of what a D-Day Anniversary, Normandy-style, looks like, grab some tissues and buckle in for the ride.

(*Photos we did not take are marked with an asterisk)

A photo of some of the D-Day veterans walking at the front of the Grand American Parade in Sainte-Mere-Eglise.
We were not too far behind these amazing gentlemen, walking in this same parade! *

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Just a few miles down the road from where we were marching in the parade,  the memorial at
Utah Beach held a ceremony with fireworks and a military salute in honor of the dead.*

On Juno Beach, a massive armada of landing craft carrying
 reenactment soldiers was greeted by thousands of eager French citizens. Here are a few them...* 

We saw thousands of restored military vehicles during our week in France, but especially on June 6th.
 Many of these vehicles had seen the Normandy campaign!*

*

Even though the Americans at Omaha Beach had the worst casualties of D-Day, other beaches were costly, too. At Gold and Sword Beaches, they planted a flag for each man who had died there. It is an overwhelming and humbling sight. Each flag says "Thank you".*

We had the honor of meeting a former Bomber pilot who flew into Normandy on June 6th. He was an extraordinary man full of wit, humor, and fun. At 92, he still holds his pilot's licence, and he currently has 25,000 flight hours. (For all of you who aren't familiar with pilot achievements, that is AMAZING.) He and Dad had a great time talking and 'discussing' the advantages of helicopters versus airplanes. It was a delightful time.

We got a chance to see the Dead Parachuter Museum while we were Sainte Mere Eglise for the parade.

This photo displays only a fraction of the people who were in Sainte-Mere-Eglise for the parade. Although the village itself has a population of a mere fifteen hundred, the narrow streets were bursting with over twenty thousand that afternoon. Between June 5th and June 7th, three million people passed through Saint-Mere-Eglise.

We couldn't help but wonder how many US citizens would know which of our American military divisions were responsible for the liberation of France. The people of France certainly do. The little boy above, whom we saw in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, is wearing a t-shirt remembering the 101st Airborne Division. The "Screaming Eagles", as the 101st is known, parachuted into Sainte Mere Eglise on the night of June 5th and freed the village. There were hats, shirts, banners, and flags all over Normandy in honor of the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions. These two divisions were vital to the success of the invasion.

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It is touching to realize how much the young generations of French children appreciate the sacrifices of 70 years ago. We all agreed that it was wonderful to see that this new generation has not lost the appreciation and gratitude for America's sacrifice. It was also neat to witness how many French people chose to don reenactment clothes on June 6th. It looked like France had stepped back in time!

*

These signs could be seen all along the coastline. 

Nearly every home in Normandy had flags flying in honor of their liberators. 

70 years has not dimmed the fiery spirits of the resilient men who freed this continent.
Some of them even parachuted into France again for the 70th Anniversary, reliving their 1944 experience.*

This montage captures some of the events of Sainte-Mere-Eglise on June 6th. On the second row from the bottom,
far right, you can see the 96-year-old veteran who led our "WWII soldiers and Families" section of the parade.
It was an honor to walk alongside someone who had made such a colossal effort to be there for the 70th Anniversary.*

To give you all a glimpse of how many celebratory events take place on June 6th, we thought we would include the event lists of a few villages around where we were staying. These are by no means exhaustive, but they give a sliver of the hundreds of events that took celebrated the D-Day Anniversary of June 6th, 2014. How many events honoring this D-Day Anniversary did your town put together? 

CHEF DU PONT

International Ceremony 

PICAUVILLE 

7.00 p.m.: Ceremony at the 90th ID Monument, rue Pasteur. Organization: Townhall in partnership with Picauville se souvient

8.00 p.m.: Friendship diner at salle polyvalente. 

SAINT COME DU MONT

Inauguration of the Normandy Honor Wall at the Dead Man’s Corner Museum

Inauguration of the plaque in memory of LTC Wolverton, killed the 6th of June 1944 in Saint Côme du Mont (date and time to be defined)

Organization: Townhall

SAINTE MARIE DU MONT

10 a.m.: IVY March in Sainte Marie du Mont. Follow the itinerary used by the 4th ID on June, 6th 1944. Start in front of the Utah Beach Museum and arrival in Sainte Marie du Mont around 1 p.m.

11 a.m.: Oecumenical mass on the beach. Organization: Centre Paroissial of Sainte Mère Eglise

11 a.m.: Ceremony at the Angelos Chatas USN Monument with the daughter and grand-daughter of A. Chatas (Utah Beach, direction Beauguillot Bird Sanctuary). 

Organization: Association des Amis du Jour J d’Utah Beach

1 p.m.: Arrival of the IVY March in Sainte Marie du Mont 

4 to 5 p.m.: Fiona Harrison’s concert (1940’ songs), on the church’ square

2.30 p.m.: Welcome to Veterans Organization: UNC

8.30 p.m.: Dance of the Liberation on the Church’ square.

SAINTE MERE EGLISE

All day long: Tandem parachute jumps above Sainte Mère Eglise.

Dive in History during the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. Meeting at the Cherbourg-Maupertus airport to get into the plane and fly above the Cotentin and Utah Beach Coasts before your get ready to jump above Sainte Mère Eglise!

2.00 p.m.: US concerts and Welcome to Veterans, on the church’ square

4 p.m.: Grand American “Memorial Parade” with 1,200 musicians in Sainte Mère Eglise.

9 p.m.: Concert for Peace, on the church’ square with the regional orchestra and a choir.

Official International Ceremony in Ouistreham with the Heads of State

Being in Normandy for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day was a once in a lifetime experience, and more. The generation of men who served on these beaches 70 years ago are almost extinct- so few still live. Knowing that we were here to shake their hands one last time, and to thank them for what their sacrifice gave to the world before they leave it forever was very meaningful. We joined in the celebration of a liberation that brought freedom, justice, and equality to a nation that had spent almost four years under the crushing, devastating policies of Nazism. 350,000 innocent civilians lost their lives in that time. 

Today, along with the nation of France, we celebrated a world made free. We celebrated people having the right to live. We celebrated the supreme sacrifice that so many thousands of men willingly gave to the world. We hope and pray that everything that was given her 70 years ago may never be forgotten, and that the world will forever remember to appreciate the freedom it now enjoys.

 Happy 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings!

Operation Honor: D-Day Morning in France

Omaha Beach at 0630 on June 6th, 2014.
70 years ago, 0630 was "H-Hour"- the moment the attack on the beaches began.

We woke up early this morning in order to be on Omaha Beach at H-Hour. It was haunting to be walking on the same sand where on June 6th, 1944, the bloody battle for Europe was beginning to rage. As we walked on the pale sand and watched the rough, windblown sea grass dip in the morning breeze, scenes from the movie "Saving Private Ryan" kept floating through our heads. Those who saw this movie can picture the horror and carnage on Omaha Beach that the movie so accurately depicted. Seventy years later, however, on this morning, the scene is peaceful and calm. 

The sand that was once stained red with rivers of blood from three thousand dead Americans is now white and studded with beautiful shells. 

In 1944, the sky was streaked with the smoke of hundreds of tons of explosives; today, it is filled with the warm golden light of the rising sun. 

The water that seventy years ago held the floating corpses of dead boys now ripples gently up and down the shore.

As we walked along the shoreline, we were able to witness an extraordinary sight: a group of reenactors in full combat gear who had also come to be there at H-Hour. In a moment that was profoundly symbolic, they planted an American flag in the damp, gray, sand by the waves. 

This land, once a slave to the Nazi regime, is free. The swastika no longer flies over the fields of France- and the French people remember it. They have not forgotten the sacrifice that the greatest generation made for them. This morning, as the land of France begins to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their liberation, we are overwhelmed and grateful to be part of this amazing and life-changing event.

Operation Honor: D-Day, looking back 70 years...

“Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory! 

I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle.

We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

General Eisenhower, final message to the troops, PM June 5th, 1944

May we never forget all that our country, our soldiers, and our military families suffered on this day, 70 years ago. It was a day where 12,000 families would suffer the loss of a brother, a son, a husband, or a daddy. It was a day when eighteen-year-old boys would fall dead on a beach in France far away from their home and their families, cut down before they had a chance to live and enjoy life. A day when fathers would die, never coming home to their children and wives. All this- all this- for the sake of freedom. 

Do we cherish it? Do we cherish the sacrifice and suffering that gave us the world we enjoy today? Today, on this 70th anniversary of the landings at Normandy, ponder all that was given on our behalf, and take a moment of silence in memory of the thousands of boys who never came home after D-Day, 1944. 

Operation Honor: History Comes Alive

Throughout the nearby area, there are a number of reenactment camps for various US army regiments...we've had a great time exploring three of them, Camp Arizona, Camp Bloody Gulch, and Camp Geronimo (paratrooper camp). We Americans were very excited to see camps full of US uniforms; it's funny how you get to missing your own country and language when you're gone long enough!

Yes, the Grant girls are too tall... or the French are a little too short, either one!

Interestingly and somewhat unfortunately for us, the majority of "our" soldiers were actually French men and women. The longer we thought about it, however, the more honored we felt...these people chose to do reenactments as our soldiers, not their own. And they've studied enough about our soldiers and what happened in WWII to lead demonstrations and explain about soldier life (again mostly in French, so we weren't able to benefit too much from the lectures. Thankfully, Daddy is a military encyclopedia, and we got everything from him!).

This MP was a British gentleman who fooled us all into thinking he was an American with his flawless disguised accent. Imagine our suprise when he began speaking like a proper Brit! The joke is on us!

Is anyone else having a Captain America moment, or is it just us?