French caretakers take the sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy and scrub them into the letters to give them the brown/gold coloring.
They do this for all 9,386 soldiers who died.
France also gave us this land as American soil.
Please feel free to include memories of your loved ones in this thread.
The grave you see is that of MAJ William Andrew Richards. He was a member of the 112th Engineer Combat Battalion.
His unit was in action against Nazi forces on Omaha Beach killed in the early hours.
William A. Richards Medals and Awards:
Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead Pin and Bronze Star
World War II Victory Medal
Of all the soldiers buried there, only 4 are women.
Sgt. Dolores Browne and PFC Mary J. Barlow and Mary H. Blankston, were members of the first all-female and the first all-African-American battalion to serve overseas.
Their battalion was nicknamed the six-triple eight.
This battalion of 850 women was the only all-black Women’s Army Corp unit to be deployed to Europe in WW2. The "Six Triple Eight" was responsible for sorting mail to soldiers.
If you have never been to Normandy or any of the D-Day beaches, I encourage you all to go in a tour. You will learn so much and see so much history.
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What do Jackie Robinson and Carly Simon have in common?
In 1952, the Robinsons needed a bigger home after the birth of their 3rd child.
The family were denied homes in NY that were "mysteriously" pulled off the market. They had trouble viewing any new properties. (1/3)
A reporter asked Rachel Robinson about racial housing practices in the tri state area, and Carly's father Richard, read the article. Along with his wife, they decided to help them find a plot of land.
The Robinson's purchased a plot in Stamford, CT.
While their home was built, they had nowhere to go.
So the five Robinson's lived with Carly and her family for a year and a half.
During this time, Jackie would practice baseball in the back yard with the kids.
Imagine Jackie Robinson hitting ground balls in your yard?
Today marks 108 years since the #ArmenianGenocide . Over 1.5 million killed, including my relatives.
I am celebrating my 3rd birthday with my grandparents who fled, which is something they never did for themselves because all their records were destroyed.
You had limited options, go to Russia where Stalin "offered jobs" or to places like Aleppo, Syria.
Thankfully they chose Aleppo.
When my grandfather fled with his family, they were halfway there, but they realized they forgot his new born baby brother in his crib.
That man, my uncle/godparent was Zohrab Kaprielian.
He went on to become the VP of Engineering at @USC where Kaprielian Hall is named after him.