D-Day veterans 'answered the call for the country': American Battle Monuments Commission historian
Benjamin Brands, a historian with the American Battle Monuments Commission, shares the background of the Normandy American Cemetery and D-Day history for the 80th anniversary ceremonies this week in France.
One hundred fifty World War II U.S. veterans, along with volunteers and representatives from the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), were present at Normandy American Cemetery in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day — June 6, 1944 — on Thursday.
ABMC historian and Army veteran Benjamin Brands spoke to Fox News Digital from Normandy for background on Operation Overlord, the official code name behind the largest amphibious invasion in history.
"It really was the beginning of the Allied effort to defeat Nazi Germany in Europe... all the subsequent battles were made possible by the bravery and the sacrifice on D-Day," Brands said.
The ABMC is a small federal agency that was established by Congress in 1923 to "honor the service, achievements and sacrifice of U.S. Armed Forces."
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The ABMC operates and maintains 26 permanent American cemeteries in 17 countries, the majority of which are dedicated to veterans of World Wars I and II.
Normandy American Cemetery, which stands directly above Omaha Beach, is the final resting place for more than 9,000 veterans. It is also where the D-Day 80th anniversary ceremonies took place on Thursday.
Graves of the fallen at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer, France. (Warrick Page, American Battle Monuments Commission)
Brands shared that the cemetery's location is of key importance, in that "of the five invasion beaches, Omaha was by far the bloodiest. Over almost 800 were killed just on Omaha out of over 2,400 killed in action just on D-Day."
"It's just such an incredibly powerful place for anyone who visits: Americans, French. It's really that location on the bluffs of Omaha Beach, literally," Brands added. "It's right on top of where Americans landed on D-Day. So many of the men who were buried in this cemetery died not just liberating France, but liberating this specific land."
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The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves and colonnade at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer, France. (Warrick Page / American Battle Monuments Commission)
Normandy American Cemetery also features monuments, including the famous Spirit of the "American Youth Rising from the Waves" statue with the colonnade surrounding it. Its inscription reads, "To these we owe the high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live."
The statue and colonnade sit above a reflection pool facing the gravesites, where the ceremonies were held.
Additionally, there are sculptures of Marianne holding a rooster, personifying France, as well as Columbia, holding an eagle in the cemetery. These two symbolize the strong relationship between the United States and France, America's very first ally.
Reflecting Pool and Memorial at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at sunset at Colleville-sur-Mer, France. (Warrick Page / American Battle Monuments Commission)
The National World War II Museum, a partner of the American Battle Monuments Commission, reports that over 400,000 American service members lost their lives in the war. The museum estimates that 119,550 veterans are still alive today, and are in their 90s or older; 16.4 million Americans served in WWII.
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Brands added that "this year people feel that very powerfully, because more and more World War II veterans are passing every day."
"By the 85th anniversary, I don't know that we won't have any left alive, but I doubt that there will be any that are able to travel to France. So I think that is giving this year's commemoration a special power," he said.
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