The different feelings of landing in the leisurely harbor of Normandy

Normandy is a fertile land in northwest France, on the edge of the English Channel. It consists of five provinces, Shanghai and Lower Normandy, covering an area of ??30,000 square kilometers. During my time as a journalist in France, I visited Normandy several times. The beautiful natural scenery and rich cultural landscape left the deepest impression on me.

The green pastures, deep blue sea, and tan sandy beaches are the most vivid colors of Normandy in memory; the horses, cattle, and sheep on the grassland are the moving images of Normandy in memory. Normandy is an important agricultural and animal husbandry base in France. The fertile land and humid climate make it fertile. When I think of Normandy, I think of real cider and a wide range of delicate cheeses. They are simply the "ambassadors" of Normandy. Normandy is also a famous tourist area. It is one of France's top three tourist destinations, along with the "C?te d'Azur" in the south and Brittany in the southwest. The "C?te d'Azur" is warm and majestic, Brittany is unrestrained and natural, and Normandy is pure and clear. France's holy mountain, Mont Saint-Michel, stands on the beaches of Normandy, greeting pilgrims peacefully; Normandy has grasslands comparable to those of the British Isles, so it has world-class golf courses. Under the long white clouds, on the green grass, people from the noisy city are using swings to balance their mood. The Normandy region is full of rivers, calm harbors, quiet riverbanks, and there are many great places for fishing! Normandy has precious purebred horses, hundreds of kilometers of coast, racecourses, and equestrian schools. It is a pleasant scenery in Normandy, a soothing poem, and a melodious song. However, pastoral is not all there is in Normandy. What makes Normandy famous is D-Day (called J-Day in France), the capital in the history of World War II. In the early morning of June 6, 1944, the largest landing battle in human history began on the beaches of Normandy, breaking through the "Atlantic Defense Line" carefully constructed by Nazi Germany and marking the prelude to the liberation of Western Europe. In the subsequent Battle of Normandy, which lasted for more than two months, about 2 million Allied soldiers and 740,000 German soldiers fought a bloody and cruel battle. 620,000 soldiers and civilians were killed or injured, of which 50,000 Normans gave their lives. I visited the war relics in Normandy and felt another Normandy with the spirit of thunder falling into the sea. The rainy night sky, rock climbing and landing, the sea floating in blood, and the beach with dead bodies lying on it. This land full of bullet marks and ruins has left many tragic and tragic feelings to future generations! In the 60 years since the landing, the French with a sense of history have cultivated a unique "World War II commemorative culture" on this land. Memorial halls and military cemeteries are the core content of the "commemorative culture". A rough estimate is that there are more than 30 memorials in Normandy. Among them, the number one ranking is the "World War II Memorial Museum" (also known as the Peace Memorial Museum) located in Caen, the capital of Lower Normandy. In 1986, the leaders of the 12 participating countries on both sides of the Battle of Normandy laid the foundation stone. Each of them brought a stone symbolizing their country. Each stone was engraved with inscriptions condemning the war and praying for peace. The following words are engraved on the stone tablet sent by Germany: "The German people realize that human rights cannot be trampled on and human rights never expire. This is the foundation of human society." This is undoubtedly a reflection on Nazi Germany's history of trampling on human rights and brutally persecuting Jews. There are approximately 120,000 graves in the cemetery of British, American, Canadian and Polish troops as well as German soldiers in Normandy. The bodies of the victors and the vanquished were buried together on the beach. The difference is that the American cemeteries are all white crosses standing on the green grass, facing west, facing the motherland on the other side of the Atlantic; the German cemeteries are iron gray. Even though it is shaded by pine trees, it still makes people feel heavy. In the American Cemetery near Omaha Beach where the US troops landed, there is a bronze sculpture called "Soldier's Soul". The young soldier raised his head slightly and stretched out his arms. The inscription on the base of the bronze sculpture is: "I personally saw the coming of the divine glory." The expression of a soldier is extraordinary. Only warriors fighting for justice can have that kind of fearlessness and that kind of serenity.

Normandy is a big stage to commemorate the victory of the Anti-Fascist War. The most sincere memorial on this stage is the veterans. In their old age, the veterans traveled across the ocean to Normandy and returned to the land of Wendell Dickinson. They presented bouquets of flowers to their fallen comrades and shed tears. In 1994, when commemorating the 50th anniversary of the landing, I was on a beach several kilometers long in Omaha. I saw veterans with medals on their chests passionately kissing children in the Normandy countryside. I shed tears for a long time. Also that year, several veterans of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army returned to the blue sky of Normandy, jumped out of the cabin, opened their colorful parachutes, and recreated a magnificent scene in the history of life. The gratitude of the Normans to their "liberator" was everlasting. Year after year, the Normans always cleared the court on the eve of the anniversary, waiting for the veterans to spend the night. Year after year, Normans volunteer to arrange events for veterans. Among them, the encounter between the "liberators" and the local "resisters" is exciting, with trembling hands holding hands and tearful eyes meeting. The heartfelt call for peace echoed over Normandy. Admiral Delaperriere, chairman of the 60th anniversary committee of the landing, wrote in an open letter: "Memorial is the sacred duty of the Normans, and the veterans are on the soil of Normandy. Normandy is also a place to observe US-European relations. Platform. The principle of "reviewing history and focusing on reality" is especially reflected in the 10th anniversary of the landing. The US president often takes an aircraft carrier to the landing beach to highlight the leadership of the United States and emphasize the cooperation between the United States and Europe in eloquent speeches. .

In 1994, Clinton came to Normandy to call on allies to assume greater responsibility in the post-Cold War world.

What will President Bush think when he comes to Normandy this year? What would you say to your allies? Last year, after France and Germany parted ways with the United States on the eve of the Iraq war, as a new generation of "liberators" ran amok in Iraq and was mired in prisoner abuse scandals, and as the date for the transfer of power from the United States and Britain approached. Oh, Normandy, with I miss Normandy endlessly!