Wednesday, June 15, 2016

The Beauty of the Past

As a proud American citizen, I allow myself to think that I know my countries history well. I've learned of almost every war our country has fought, and keep updated with current issues. However, learning things for a text book and seeing something in real life are two very different things. 
I have always known that D-day was the turning point in American history, that it really saved so many innocent people, and also resulted in so many fallen soldiers. I've seen the footage of what happened many times, most of which resulted in tear shed. But walking up to the beach today where my predaceous fought and died for me resulted in an emotion I can not put to words. The most accurate description I could give to these feelings would be beauty. The physical beauty of the beach itself is incomparable. It is a large, wide beach with soft, white sand that runs through your toes. Following this is blue water so clear it provides one with a sense of solitude I have only encountered one other time in my life. It also is beautiful due to the significance of its past. Walking across a land that once held thousands of soldiers fighting for a cause they believed in so much, many of them gave their lives is an incomparable beauty. I might have been in France, but being on that beach allowed me to see how America is the great country I know. The beauty I saw today gave me hope for the American people and let me understand so much more about our own people, an experience I could only get from this visit. I am so grateful for the men and women who have fought and died for our country, and this visit real solidified that for me and many others who have had the opportunity to make this journey.