Destination List > Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Photo by Maurice
The history...
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. It honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II. The memorial is located on the site of the former temporary battlefield cemetery of Saint Laurent, covering 172.5 acres and containing 9,388 burials.
A memorial in the cemetery includes maps and details of the Normandy landings and military operations that followed. At the memorial's center is Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves, a bronze statue. The cemetery also includes two different flag poles which at two different times people gather around the American flags to watch them lower and fold both flags.
The cemetery, which was dedicated in 1956, is the most visited cemetery run by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) with one million visitors a year. In 2007, the ABMC opened a visitor center at the cemetery, relating the global significance and meaning of Operation Overlord.
