A group of 14 travelers from Benjamin Logan Schools are on a 12-day European educational tour, which includes England, France and Italy by planes, trains and buses.
This week as the students stood above Omaha and Utah beaches on Pointe du Hoc, it was a reminder that freedom and liberty are not without a price. That price for many is unspeakable courage and sacrifice.
Wednesday, the group traveled to the Normandy American Cemetery, which contains the graves of 9,386 of the U.S. military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations.
“The trip to Normandy helped me realize the tragedy and suffering of our brave soldiers,” BLHS junior Lauren Hemmelgarn shared. “But it also helped me see how even through the worst times something good could come out of it, as I watched people playing on the beach laughing and having fun.”
Benjamin Logan alumni Elanie McWade said visiting these beaches was something she had never experienced before in her life. Even though she’s a graduate and now attending the University of Toledo, McWade was excited to participate in the educational trip that she had planned on two summers ago.
“Walking the trails and the beaches that 70 plus years ago was a total war zone is something hard to describe. Pictures can capture the beautiful sceneries and memorials of what happened, but the feeling you get actually walking there is amazing and unreal.”