On a bluff overlooking the Omaha Beach in Normandy, France is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. The cemetery site  covers 172 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations in World War II.

Like all other overseas American cemeteries in France for World War I and II, France has granted the United States a special, perpetual concession to the land occupied by the cemetery, free of any charge or any tax. This cemetery is managed by the American government and the U.S. flag flies over these soils.

Memorial Day is a time we set aside to remember the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. I had the honor of visiting Arlington National Cemetery and last summer, the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. It is a very humbling experience to walk among the graves of those who have sacrificed everything for the freedoms our country offers.