fallen. It was a moment for our group to remember what had
inspired this trip: Freedom is not free. Seeing the stars on that
wall and thinking about those who had perished during the
war gave our group an opportunity to internalize that idea.
Plaques leading the way into the memorial, depicting various
wartime events, are also the visual legacy of the event. The
names of battles at both ends of the memorial remind us of the
sacrifice made by Americans in the fight for freedom.
The on-site guides reminded us of the effort it took to build
L
the memorial, pointing out that all the money to build the
memorial was provided by private citizens. The memorial is
a demonstration in leadership, not only of the World War II
generation that it honors, but also of ordinary Americans who
Morris and Woolsey visiting the US Navy Memorial on Utah Beach.
The Normandy Institute was developed by Albert H. Small,
who felt the lessons learned on June 6, 1944, were being lost
on current generations. With the help of National History Day,
Mr. Small was able to translate his vision to reality four years
ago. His idea was simple: Take small groups of students and
teachers, immerse them in the academic study of World War II,
stressing the significance of D-Day, and then bring them to the
actual battlefields, to help them gain a deeper understanding
of why preserving this singular event’s legacy is so important.
Once the students and teachers came home, they would spread
the word, preserving D-Day’s legacy for future generations long
after the World War II generation passes.
Abby and I learned about the Normandy Institute completely
by accident. When I got an e-mail on the state listserv about
the program, at first I did not believe it was real. Once I had
checked into the program, I immediately contacted Abby, a
student who I believed would benefit and be responsible for
carrying through with it. Hers was the first name on that list.
I will forever be thankful that she decided to take on thi ́хͬ