Every year, French caretakers spend hours preparing the grave markers at the American cemetery in Normandy — nearly 10,000 of them.
In the United States, citizens spend Memorial Day remembering and honoring the service members who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms and liberties the rest of us enjoy – but for those who never made it home, some of the host nations do what they can to honor the Americans who fell defending them.
In Normandy, for example, some citizens routinely bring sand from D-Day’s most brutal landing site — Omaha Beach — and use it to darken the names and dates inscribed in the otherwise plain white marble crosses that cover the landscape.
Every #MemorialDay, I share this video.
French caretakers take the sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy and scrub them into the letters to give them the brown/gold coloring.
They do this for all 9,386 soldiers who died.
France also gave us this land as American soil. pic.twitter.com/TfE6gFD6lD
— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) May 29, 2023
The tradition was begun by French soldiers and has been carried through the years by locals and visiting family members, who often do the sand-scrubbing just before the anniversary of the D-Day invasion – but for Memorial Day, each grave is marked with both an American flag and a French flag. The land where those soldiers were buried may be located in France, but it is considered American soil.
#HonorThem 🇺🇸#MemorialDay provides us the opportunity to honor the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
Yesterday, #SkySoldiers participated in a Memorial Day remembrance ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial 🇫🇷 to honor the fallen 🪖 pic.twitter.com/9aRn3agDLl
— 173rdAirborneBrigade (@173rdAbnBde) May 29, 2023
Other American cemeteries across Europe do the same, among them the Henri-Chapelle American Military Cemetery in Plombieres, Belgium. Memorial Day has been observed at that cemetery – where both American and Belgian flags adorn each marker — since 1945, when both Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley were in attendance.
#MemorialDay 🇺🇸 at the #HenriChapelle #American #Cemetery, the largest #American #cemetery in #Belgium 🇧🇪🇺🇸. 7,987 servicemen are buried here.
The first #MemorialDay ceremony held at the #cemetery was on 30 May 1945 in the presence of Generals #DwighDEisenhower and #OmarBradley pic.twitter.com/nr7O78UbsN— Nicole Conroth 🇧🇪🇪🇺🇦🇹🎶💖 (@ConrothN) May 29, 2023
American flags and the flag of the Netherlands mark each grave at the Netherlands American Cemetery in the village of Margraten.
Memorial day at the Margraten American Cemetery in the Netherlands. pic.twitter.com/RMbFaKAFTa
— The Battlefield Explorer (@battlefieldexpl) May 28, 2023
US Memorial Day commemoration at the Netherlands American Cemetery with out @WWIImuseum Easy Company Tour yesterday. A wonderful and impressive experience for the museum’s guests. #ww2travel #educationaltravel #easycompany #bandofbrothers pic.twitter.com/GS6L360NoE
— Edwin Popken (@edwinpopken) May 29, 2023
The Italian flag sits alongside the American flag at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno.
Ambassador Donnelly was honored to speak at the Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony today at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno. pic.twitter.com/vukvnDOTPf
— U.S. in Holy See (@USinHolySee) May 27, 2023
The Tunisian flag flies next to the American flag at the North Africa American Cemetery in Tunisia.
MG Todd Wasmund joined Commisioner Kemp, @usabmc, and Ambassador Joey Hood, @usembassytunis for a special #MemorialDay ceremony at the North Africa American Cemetery in Tunisia marking the 80th anniversary of the end of combat in Tunisia during #WWII 🇺🇲@DeptofDefense @USMCFEA pic.twitter.com/gIXkjBd2Cq
— U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (@SETAF_Africa) May 29, 2023
At the American Cemetery in Manila, Filipino flags fly alongside the Stars and Stripes.
#Philippines 🇵🇭
American Cemetery in Manila.
Filipino and American flags at every grave. #MemorialDay@usabmc @USAmbPH pic.twitter.com/NhUx1NIZf3— 🚶🏻Curtis S. Chin (@CurtisSChin) May 29, 2023