The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is located on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel. It covers 172 acres and contains the remains of 9,387 American military soldiers (including 300 unknown soldiers), most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. The graves face westward, towards the United States.

In and around Normandy, there are 21 different cemeteries honoring the dead of the many different countries participating in World War II. The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is the 3rd largest of those 21 and the larger of the two American cemeteries. This cemetery is expansive…there were rows and rows of pure white marble head stones shaped in crosses and Stars of David (for those who were Jewish). It was an awesome site… very somber and sobering.