On the hallowed grounds of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial rest 9,387 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Operation Overlord landings and ensuing battles in the Allied liberation of France. Set high on a bluff above the Omaha Beachhead in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, it is one of the best-known military cemeteries and memorials in the world.
Lush parks shaded by Roman pines and stately cypresses are familiar fixtures on the Italian landscape, but few of these retreats are as immaculately kept, as tranquil , and as simply lovely as the grounds of the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in the seaside town of Nettuno, 38 miles south of Rome. Only birdsong and the sound of splashing fountains intrude on the contemplative silence of these 77 acres, where white crosses are arranged in gracefully curving rows to mark the graves of World War II service members who died in Allied landings and the fierce battles that led to the liberation of Italy.
The clarity of the air was intoxicating as I stood on the deck of the AmaLyra in La Havre, France. With small boats in the harbor, I realized it was the same location where Claude Monet created his monumental landmark painting, Impression, Sunrise, which gave birth to the art movement known as Impressionism. Devoid of pictorial realism, it was from his own personal perspective – not from yours or mine – achieved by a series of short impasto brushstrokes and the use of subdued blue-grayish colors, which contrasted with the warmth of the orange sun.
June 6th is a historic and memorable day for me. In 2004, when I was on KNX1070 with my travel show, I was in Normandy, France, at the invite of the French government, to be part of the world-wide media celebrating the 60th anniversary of D-Day – June 6th in 1944 when the allies invaded Europe. It was spine-chilling and …
On the other side of the English Channel back in WW 2 – 1943 to be exact – there was another imaginative and vibrant character – known as “The Desert Fox" to many, but also by his more recognized name, Field Marshal Rommel. I’ve always thought it was intriguing that Rommel was highly regarded by many of the higher echelon of the British and American military leadership.
Last month many in Europe, and possibly others around the world, celebrated the 75th Anniversary of June 6th, 1944, when the Allies invaded Normandy in France to begin WW2’s liberation of Europe from Nazi tyranny. As a result of this 2019 Anniversary of the 1944 invasion, newspapers, television shows, magazines, and the media in general, were filled with photos of that June 6th day in 1944, along with remembrances by the few remaining WW2 military that – amazingly – are still with us.