A few years ago I visited Normandy and was able to pay a visit to the Cimetière Américain de Colleville-sur-mer ( Normandy American Cemetery). I don’t usually get too emotional at cemeteries, but this one was different. The cemetery is 172.5 acres with 9,387 burials and the names of 1,557 soldiers who are listed as missing in action. It’s located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach with a breathtaking view. Most of those buried here were killed during the D-Day invasion, and it’s interesting to note that the cemetery overlooks the sector where the 1st Division landed on D-Day.
While updating this post, I wanted to include early footage of the Normandy American Cemetery. I found a promising WWII Signal Corps film log, but something didn’t add up. The log entry described a burial ceremony on June 10, 1944 at an “American cemetery near Etuville, France.” But there was one problem, Etuville doesn’t exist.
Going Down a Rabbit Hole
At first, I wasn’t sure how to place this footage in my post. The burial site seemed to match historical descriptions of the Normandy American Cemetery’s earliest days, but the log entry calling it “Etuville” made me pause. I didn’t want to assume this was Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer without confirmation. That uncertainty sent me down a research rabbit hole — one that ultimately proved this footage was, in fact, documenting the very first burials at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
What I found in the footage — fresh graves, sandy terrain, gliders in the background, and even French civilians assisting in burials — matched up with historical records and photographs from the temporary cemetery at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. This wasn’t some forgotten burial site; it was the very beginning of what would become the Normandy American Cemetery.
From Temporary Resting Place to Permanent Memorial
The U.S. military established the Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer site as the first American cemetery in Normandy, but they never intended for it to be permanent. As the war continued and officials planned a lasting memorial, they chose a new site just east of the original burial ground. On July 18, 1956, they dedicated the Normandy American Cemetery, consolidating remains from ten temporary cemeteries nearby. Workers placed the
Upon entering the cemetery you see a semi-circular memorial made out of limestone and engraved with the names of the 1,557 missing in action. Rosettes have been placed next to the names of those who have since been identified.It really hit me walking into the cemetery and just seeing all the names of those lost, and the rows and rows of graves. Maybe it was because I had just been on a D-Day Tour that covered important locations during the invasion, or because I had recently watched Saving Private Ryan, but this cemetery made me so incredibly sad. Standing among the endless rows of white crosses, each one marking a life cut short, was sobering. These were men who had stormed the beaches, who had faced unimaginable horrors — and here, all that remained were their names, etched in stone.
Among the 9,387 graves, some stories stand out. Of these, 307 are unknown soldiers, four belong to women, and 38 sets of brothers lie side by side. The father and son buried here serve as a reminder of the families forever changed by war. The brothers who inspired Saving Private Ryan (Preston and Robert Niland) are also buried here.1https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/american-cemetery-at-omaha-facts-we-didnt-know-but-you-did.html
The Women of Normandy: The Story of the Three B’s
Among the 9,387 graves at Normandy American Cemetery, only four belong to women. People rarely tell their stories, but they sacrificed just as much as the men they served alongside. Three of them, Pfc. Mary J. Barlow, Pfc. Mary H. Bankston, and Sgt. Dolores M. Browne—belonged to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit to serve in Europe during World War II. The fourth, Elizabeth Richardson, was a Red Cross volunteer who spent her final days bringing comfort to war-weary soldiers, only to lose her own life before she could return home.
The Six Triple Eight had a mission that was both simple and staggering: clear the mountains of undelivered mail that had been piling up since D-Day. They worked in cold, dark warehouses, sorting millions of letters and packages meant for soldiers spread across the European theater. Their motto—“No mail, low morale”—was a blunt truth. A letter from home could mean the difference between hope and despair.
In July 1945, with the war in Europe over, military leaders sent the battalion to Rouen, France, to clear yet another backlog. But tragedy struck when a jeep accident killed Barlow, Bankston, and Browne. Their fellow soldiers, some with experience in mortuaries, prepared their bodies for burial. The unit even raised money for funeral services, ensuring their friends received a proper farewell.
Elizabeth Richardson: A Life Lost in Service
Elizabeth Richardson’s story is just as heartbreaking. She was a Red Cross worker, part of the famed Clubmobile Service, where women ran mobile canteens and delivered coffee, donuts, and conversation to battle-weary troops. More than that, they were a piece of home—a reminder of normalcy in a world that had become anything but.
On July 25, 1945, just two months after VE Day, Richardson boarded a small military plane headed for Paris. It crashed en route, killing everyone on board. She was 27 years old.
Today, these four women rest among the thousands of men they served beside. Society segregated them in life, but here in Normandy, people honor their sacrifice equally with all others. Their stories may not be as well-known, but their place in history—and in this cemetery—is just as earned.2“No mail, low morale”: the importance of the 6888th Central Postal Directory
Theodore Roosevelt Jr.: The Oldest Man to Storm the Beaches
One of the most sought after graves here is that of Theodore Roosevelt Jr, son of President Theodore Roosevelt and Medal of Honor recipient. When I visited the cemetery and took the picture below, I didn’t yet realize just how extraordinary he was..
Brigadier General Theodore “Ted” Roosevelt Jr was one of the most remarkable figures of D-Day. He was 56 years old, making him the oldest man in the invasion, and the only general to land with the first wave at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944. He was also the only one to have his son land that day, Captain Quentin Roosevelt, who was among the first men to land at Omaha Beach. Despite arthritis and a heart condition that required him to walk with a cane, he personally led troops under heavy fire, famously improvising when their landing was off course, saying: “We’ll start the war from right here!”
Ted Roosevelt, Utah Beach
His leadership was crucial in quickly securing the beachhead. Just over a month later, on July 12, 1944, Roosevelt died of a heart attack in France. Recognizing his bravery and leadership under fire, the U.S. Army posthumously awarded Roosevelt the Medal of Honor. One of only four given for actions on D-Day. Today he rests at Normandy American Cemetery beside his younger brother, Quentin Roosevelt, a WWI pilot whom enemy forces shot down over France in 1918. They remain the only pair of brothers buried side by side in the cemetery. Many years later when General Omar Bradley was asked what the most heroic action he witnessed in battle he replied: “Ted Roosevelt, Utah Beach.”3Theodore Roosevelt Jr
Visiting the Normandy American Cemetery is humbling enough on its own, but after uncovering the full story of its origins, from the first burials at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer to the perfectly aligned rows here today — it feels even more powerful. These young men stormed the beaches below, knowing that for many of them, this was it. Now, their final resting place overlooks the very spot where they fought and fell.
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