I had a special experience visiting Saint-James Cemetery. Also known as "Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial", it is one of the two American cemeteries in the region where the allied troops landed on French beaches to begin battling the Nazis. The Saint-James Cemetery is just 15 miles east of Mont Saint Michel, the medieval abbey built on an island a half-mile off the French coastline. So, a detour to the American military cemetery was easy to combine with a visit to Mont Saint Michel.
The cemetery is free and open to the public. It is very well maintained and has a visitors' center staffed by very knowledgeable and helpful personnel. It is one of fourteen cemeteries outside of the United States where there are permanent burial grounds for US armed forces. It is operated by the American Battle Monuments Commission, which was created by Congress in 1923. The use of the cemeteries on foreign soil have been granted in perpetuity to the United States by the host governments free of cost, rent and taxation.
On the day of our visit, the sole staffer in the visitors center at Saint-James was a retired US military man. He was thrilled to help. I gave him the name of my mother's first cousin, Joseph E. Parker, Jr., who was buried there. In moments, he produced the plot location information (Section H, Row 13, Grave 6), grabbed a duffel bag and escorted us out the door. He walked us to the location of the grave, passing through rows of identical white marble crosses. When he found the spot, he pulled an American flag from his duffel, unfurled it and placed it in the ground in front of the cross. Then, he removed a thermos from his bag. In it was sand from Omaha beach. He rubbed a handful into the indentations from the marker carvings. The dark sand contrasted against the white cross making it easier to read the carved letters. Using a soft cloth, he gently wiped away the excess sand. Finally, he stood at attention in a salute with his right hand. With his left hand, he aimed and clicked a small remote control device in the direction of the visitors' center and chapel. Taps began to play mournfully. He remained at attention, inspiring me to do the same - and to shed a few tears as well. After visiting the D-Day landing spots and battlefields, and seeing the incredible challenges that the young soldiers faced, it's so hard to believe that they broke through the Nazis' line.
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| Rubbing Sand from Omaha Beach into the Indentations in the Headstone |
After that moving moment, the caretaker returned with us to the visitors' center. He opened a file drawer and, to my amazement, produced an original document from 1944. It was a piece of pink tissue paper that was a carbon copy of the Headstone Inscription and Interment Record. Apparently, the families of fallen soldiers were offered the opportunity to repatriate the remains to the US at the families' expense, or else our government would provide the gravesite and headstone in France. He photocopied the document and gave it to me, along with the flag that he had planted at the gravesite.
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| Before Sand was Rubbed into Headstone Inscription |
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| After Sand Rubbings |
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| At Attention While Taps Plays |
After that moving moment, the caretaker returned with us to the visitors' center. He opened a file drawer and, to my amazement, produced an original document from 1944. It was a piece of pink tissue paper that was a carbon copy of the Headstone Inscription and Interment Record. Apparently, the families of fallen soldiers were offered the opportunity to repatriate the remains to the US at the families' expense, or else our government would provide the gravesite and headstone in France. He photocopied the document and gave it to me, along with the flag that he had planted at the gravesite.
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The Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint James, France