Dedication of New Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center Set for June 6, 2007

The American Battle Monuments Commission ^

[Stoat]

Dedication of New Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center Set for June 6, 2007

Sixty-three years after Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to turn the tide of World War II in Europe, a new visitor center at the Normandy American Cemetery in France will open in June 2007 to tell the story of the 9,387 Americans buried there and put the D-Day landings and follow-on battle in Europe in perspective as one of the greatest military achievements of all time.

The $30 million visitor center will be dedicated and opened to the public on June 6, 2007 during the annual D-Day commemorations. The center is sited in a wooded area of the cemetery approximately 100 meters east of the Garden of the Missing. Normandy is the American Battle Monuments Commission's most visited cemetery, receiving approximately one million visitors each year.



 

Visitor Experience

One-third of the building's 30,000 square feet will be dedicated exhibit space. Using personal stories of participants and a mix of narrrative text, photos, films, interactive displays and artifacts, exhibits will portray the competence, courage and sacrifice of Allied forces.

The visitor center is designed to complement and enhance the experience of visiting the cemetery. By relating the global significance and meaning of Operation OVERLORD, the center will pay tribute to the values and sacrifices of the World War II generation. After experiencing the cemetery and the center, visitors will have a greater appreciation of those participating in the Normandy invasion, the achievement of America and her Allies in conducting the greatest amphibious invasion in history and the importance of honoring our war dead.

In honoring the brave Americans who lie far from home, as well as those who survived the battle, the center will inspire future generations to explore, understand and emulate the values for which they gallantly fought. It will also convey a sense of remembrance and provide visitors an opportunity to reflect upon a pivotal moment in World War II and realize how dramatically it affected the course of world history.

 

Project Goals

• Design an effective and efficient facility that architecturally complements the cemetery landscape with style and dignity.
• Develop appropriate messages that increase the visitor's appreciation of the magnitude and significance of the Normandy operations and the sacrifices involved in victory.
• Expand public awareness of ABMC services, facilities and objectives in honoring America's war dead overseas.

Project History

In June 2001, U.S. Congressmen David Obey and John Murtha proposed that funding be included in the Congressional budget for construction of a visitor and interpretive center at the Normandy American Cemetery.

In December 2002, ABMC selected the SmithGroup, an architectural and engineering firm based in Washington, D.C., to design and build the center. ABMC and SmithGroup planners melded the ideas, concepts and visions that evolved into the final design concept. Gallagher & Associates, based in Bethesda, Md., is designing the exhibits for the visitor center. Construction began in September 2005.

ABMC worked closely with local government officials in Normandy to create a visitor center that will celebrate the spirit and teamwork of the men and women who won the battle for Normandy, while ensuring that the center integrates into the French government's plan for infrastructure improvements throughout the Normandy area.

 

Dedication Plans

ABMC will announce its plans for the center's public opening and dedication celebration in early 2007. Information will be posted on this Web site as it becomes available.

[Stoat]

Please be sure to watch the two extremely touching and important videos hosted at the American Battle Monuments Commission site, but be advised that they are large and will take awhile to download.

Coming soon to Normandy To watch the video, click here. To learn more, click here.

 

Fields of Honor To watch the ABMC video, click here.

 

[Chgogal]

Thanks for the post! BTTT

[AUsome Joy]

Thanks for this information. My DH and I are planning our first trip to Normany in April. We are starting to gather information for the trip. Too bad we will miss this new Visitor's Center.

[RushLake]

Thank you for posting this. I plan to get to Normandy in the next few years to see the real estate that our warriors paid for in blood.

One of my great concerns about the War on Terror is that if the islamic filth prevail, all those crosses on our hallowed ground will be desecrated. The thought is despicable.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Hey, when you finally get over there, don't forget to visit the World War I cemeteries as well. They tend to be obscured by Normandy and the other World War II sites.

[RushLake]

Yes indeed. A great website about WWI is Hellfire Corner. They have links to the cemeteries. Additionally, I just read a recent book by Sir Martin Gilbert--I believe its title was "The Somme" or "The Battle of the Somme" (I'm up north in the midst of the cough, cough, global warming deep freeze, the book is 220 miles south in that part of the global warming freeze) which zeroed in on several of the cemeteries associated with that battlefield. The book is a great read too.

[Stoat]

Thanks for the post! BTTT

You're quite welcome and I'm delighted that you've found it to be worthwhile  :-)

[Stoat]

Thanks for this information. My DH and I are planning our first trip to Normany in April. We are starting to gather information for the trip. Too bad we will miss this new Visitor's Center.

You're quite welcome and I hope that you will enjoy your trip.  I have no doubt that upon your return there are many FReepers who would really enjoy a thread featuring photos that you've taken of the area.

 

[Stoat]

Thank you for posting this. I plan to get to Normandy in the next few years to see the real estate that our warriors paid for in blood.

You're quite welcome and I'm very happy that you've found the information to be helpful. 

One of my great concerns about the War on Terror is that if the islamic filth prevail, all those crosses on our hallowed ground will be desecrated. The thought is despicable.

I share your concern, and at the risk of turning this thread from a respectful and  informational one about the amazing sacrifices of our soldiers and of the necessity in honoring them into another France-bashing thread (and I have enthusiastically participated in several of those) I must confess that the first video in particular ("Coming Soon To Normandy") served as a dramatic reminder as to how much France has changed during the course of the past sixty-odd years.  Considering the current state of that once-great nation and how shabbily they have treated us over the past couple of decades in particular, I naturally wonder whether there would be any particular will on the part of our modern soldiers and their commanders to make a similar sacrifice again, should the need arise.

As to France's enthusiastic acceptance of Islamic encroachment and it's conscious capitulation to .the Saracen hordes, my hope is that we will not need to turn our overseas battlefield monuments into conspicuously armed and guarded fortresses, but I also hope that such a plan will be implemented if necessary.  We cannot allow our fallen soldiers to be dishonored.

Thank you for posting this. I plan to get to Normandy in the next few years to see the real estate that our warriors paid for in blood.

You're quite welcome and I'm very happy that you've found the information to be helpful. 

One of my great concerns about the War on Terror is that if the islamic filth prevail, all those crosses on our hallowed ground will be desecrated. The thought is despicable.

[Dstorm]

Thank You

BTTT

[Stoat]

Thank You

BTTT

You're quite welcome and I'm delighted that you've found the article to be worthwhile   :-)

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

NEVER FORGET



The Words
http://www.Freerepublic.com/~ALOHARONNIE


The Pictures
http://www.RickRescorla.com/The%20Statue.htm


The Heroism
http://www.ArmchairGeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24361



NEVER FORGET

.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

NEVER FORGET


Home of D-Day Veterans =

Freedom Committee of Orange County

http://www.fc-oc.org


NEVER FORGET

,

[CremeSaver]

Rest in peace, brave American heroes.

Could someone please help me. I read recently that we pay rent for these cemeteries in France. Could that possibly be true? I can understand paying for their upkeep, but rent?

[M. Espinola]

We must never forget the sacrifices so many made to keep us free.

[cmotormac44]

Visit the German cemetaries as well---very somber as the stones are black and the place was not as well kept as ours is---since I was there for the 40th and 50th Anniversary it may be different now---as a vet of the Normandy Invasion, I found it to be an excellent reminder that all involved lost their sons,husbands, brothers and fathers during the war no matter which side they were on.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

That's exactly right! What people tend to forget (because of WWII) is that those Germans were not Nazis and were fighting for their own country (misled as it was by the Kaiser), same as our doughboys!

[Tennessee_Bob]

Bump for home viewing.