European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 7, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 2007 stars and stripes pages Day veterans pay respects to fallen comrades by Matt Millham stars and stripes France Ralph Widener looked through the Mist and toward the Green grass lined with neat rows of White i have eight buddies buried in that cemetery out he pointing to the he knows it could just As easily have been his name etched in one of those ghostly forms of cruciform for this was no Ordinary Cem just a few Hundred Yards the Waters of the English Chan Nel pounded Omaha Home of the Normandy american Ceme Tery and final resting place of Many who died during the allies inva Sion of Normandy 63 years the main reason he returned to the site of his buddies burial was to pay his respects to he was among though one of Only a handful of Day vet Erans who attended the commemoration wednesday of the 63rd anniversary of the the american Battle monuments which runs the Ceme also used the occasion to dedicate a new visitor which tells the Story of the Battle and the americans buried in the the invasion is remembered As among the greatest military Victory of All though it was at bloody Omaha where the Allied Offen Sive faltered and almost defense Secretary Robert Gates said in the ceremony keynote bad bad weather and bad Luck colluded against the allies that he but on these the tide finally he though at a great and sorrowful on the first Day of the some Brit canadians and nearly two dozen French died As they tried to establish an Allied foothold in we build memorials like this to remind us of the past so that Succes Sive generations will know the enormous Cost of Gates this sentiment was also expressed in speeches delivered by French minister of defense Herve Morin and american Battle monuments commission chairman Frederick Franks a retired army said the Day was one to remember the thousands of soldiers who carried the Hopes and prayers of the free world on their Young some of them sat among the he Many More Are buried in the even More have died during the years since the in he for those who lived through the Battle and survive what was accomplished Here Hast William Robinson haunt been Back to Normandy since he landed on Omaha Beach those 63 years ago to the but he remembers think ing that Omaha Beach looked Uke Little More than a Beach with a Hill behind hed already fought in North Africa and Sicily with the 1st infantry none of those Battles compared to what he saw on when his company disembarked their Landing Craft in the first wave Nice and Early in the morning on june half the men were he v he was wary of what the nostalgia of returning to the Battle  Monument might do to he but he came the memory of the friends he lost on the Beach tugged at his i cherish the thoughts of he we had some Good and we had some bad you lost a lot of when you went to Emall Matt Millham at  top left workers place new French and Ameri can flags at All of the Graves of Ameri cans buried at the the Normandy american cemetery in above two veterans Salute during the playing of the National Anthem wednesday at the 63rd anniversary of the Day left thousands watch the ceremony wednes Day commemorating the 63rd anniversary of Day and dedication of the Normandy Ameri can visitor below members of company 40th Engineer from made up the firing photos by Matt Millham stars and stripes defense Secretary Robert looks out Over Omaha Beach on wednesday alongside Normandy american cemetery superintendent Daniel