WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – On June 6th, 2024, Americans across the country will commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. In Normandy, France a solemn tradition pays tribute to the sacrifice made by those who stormed Omaha Beach to free the country from Nazi occupation.
Whenever a loved one visits their family member’s grave, staff at the Normandy American Cemetery will take sand from the nearby Omaha Beach and rub it onto the headstone. This helps highlight the name, titles and other information on the memorial.
Both American and French flags are then placed in front of the headstone.
Historian Anthony Foulquier says, “It shows how, almost 80 years later, we still remember them.”
The cemetery contains the graves of 9,387 service members, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. There are an additional 1,557 names inscribed on the Wall of the Missing memorial.