When I was in medical school, I got to spend two months training in a French hospital.  Every weekend, Marla and I (newly married) would take a road trip in our rented Citroen Saxo.  It would barely make it up the hills.  We became experts at locating the best pains au raisins, and all kinds of other French delicacies, and saw some very beautiful places.  It was one of the best times of my life.

Over the long Thanksgiving weekend (no, the French don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but we duly informed them that WE do, and that we would be needing a four day weekend), we visited Normandy, and particularly the famous beaches where the D-day invasion occurred.

The story of the invasion is truly fascinating.  It’s a story of great courage,  sacrifice, and teamwork.  Inspiring stuff.  There were so many heroes in those days of the summer of 1944.  Some came home, many didn’t (as the American cemetery at Omaha beach illustrates above).  Today, Veterans Day, we honor their sacrifice.

My strongest memory from the trip is my visit to the Airborne Museum in St. Mere Eglise.  As I left the museum,  a couple of French young men yelled to me from across the parking lot, “Thank you, Americans!”

Humbled, I smiled and waved.  I was painfully aware that I didn’t pay a price for France’s freedom.  Or America’s.  So today, I give credit where credit is truly due.

Thank you, veterans!