Today is the Memorial Day holiday n the United States. It’s a day for remembering those lost in war and in military service.
It’s also worth remembering those veterans who are alive and need to be served better by our VA health system and by society.
In my travels, I’ve been fortunate to visit three major American military cemeteries in Europe, so I’ll share some photos below as a way to reflect and remember on this holiday. I’ve updated this post in 2021 with photos that I took in Normandy back in 2019.
The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery (France)
This cemetery honors those who died during World War I, just outside the champagne region in France. The nearby Battle of Belleau Wood is where American Marines got their famed “devil dog” nickname in fighting the Germans.
Below are some photos I took in late 2012.
Below is a short video I took. There’s a lot of wind noise, but you can hear chimes playing the Marine Hymn.
Cambridge American Cemetery (England)
In 2008, while doing some consulting for an NHS hospital, I took a weekend side trip to see the Cambridge American Cemetery and the town of Cambridge itself. Below are some photos I took. The cemetery has special meaning to my father-in-law. His middle name was given in honor of one of his father’s airmen who died when they were all shot down during the war, so I was able to find the burial site to take a picture for him (Vincent Fazio, seen in the last photo).
Normandy American Cemetery (France)
These are photos that I took during a trip to Normandy Beach and other D-Day beaches back in 2019 — from the Normandy American Cemetery.
Memorial Day Flag Display (Boston)
As a final photo, when my wife and I were living in Boston for a year, there was a huge sea of small flags in the Boston Common on Memorial Day 2010 (I’m sure this is an annual display) – read more and see more pictures online.
Thanks to all of you who have served and especially those who have sacrificed so much.
What do you think? Scroll down to comment or share your thoughts and the post on social media. Don’t want to miss a post or podcast? Subscribe to get notified about posts via email daily or weekly.
