Visiting Omaha Beach was a truly surreal experience. The history of what happened on the ground we stood on was both emotional and difficult to grasp at the same time. The entire area is owned completely and in perpetuity by the US, so everything is about the American soldiers who fought on that beach The facility that presented a lot of the history and stories behind the war and it's individual soldiers was well done, informational, and moving. After exiting the building, we were directed towards the cemetery itself. My first thought was that it was absolutely beautiful. A fitting way to honor those who died. The families of soldiers who died there had the option to either bring them home for burial or have them buried there. Almost 9,000 chose to bury their loved ones next to the men (and four women) they fought with. My next thought was the immense loss of human life in that place. The number of perfectly arranged crosses is gorgeous to look at but hard to reconcile with the death it represents.

Looking down the bluffs is another powerful aspect of the area. The terrain the soldiers had to climb up with Nazi fire directly down on them is staggering. It is a testament to our soldiers' bravery and training that they were able to look at terrible odds and still go forward. On bluffs and on the hills around them were remnants of Nazi bunkers. This was the most eerie experience. We stood in places were Nazi soldiers fired at American troops, where both sides fought and died, and eventually where US troops made their way up the hills to start their liberation of France.

The last stage of our visit was driving through the tiny sea-side villages that were the scene of absolute chaos 65 years ago. Just being in the area was powerful enough, but we also saw some old war era buildings where almost certainly American troops battles Nazis at close range. The towns are now gorgeous and quaint, so again it was hard to reconcile that with what it probably looked like during the war.

As a side note, the guest log in the presentation center was actually the thing that was the most moving. People from all over the world wrote their names and a simple "thank you.". It made us proud to be even associated by nationality with the troops who served in the war, especially those who died where we stood.

It is impossible to fully describe and recount the beauty and history and how it affected us when we were there, but in my opinion there is no place on earth that is more moving and powerful an experience as Omaha Beach.