Of all the places to visit in France, Omaha Beach was on our Top 3 list. Seeing thousands of white crosses, a few crumbling bunkers, and the uneven terrain from World War II bombers pelting the shoreline left an indelible mark on our hearts.
Over nine thousand American military members are buried above the beach. The loss of life for the allied troops and enemy forces was enormous. Looking down at the beach from the bunkers, you could almost hear the Saving Private Ryan battle cries. Conflict is costly.
While on Omaha Beach, I thought of the veteran soldiers who visited my ArtPrize 2015 Hometown Hero installation. These veterans soldiers, who honored the World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan fallen, made a deep impression on us—the ArtPrize visitors, my volunteers, and me, the artist. Their story of sacrifice and loss, even decades later, was profoundly visible. We all felt their grief.
Many tears fell. Both the soldiers’ tears. And the onlookers’ tears. Our tears gathered and fell as the soldiers recorded the names of their fallen heroes on the painting and, then, silently saluted their comrades. One soldier even crawled up to the painting on his abdomen in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Marine style, to write the name of his fallen “brother.”
As a military wife, grandmother, and artist, it is my mission to seek hope and healing wherever my work leads. A work that focuses on viewers and their story. A work that offers a healing space.
Decades from now, what will be your story? Or my story? Will we be the ones who laid down our lives for freedom? Or will we be the survivors, passing on a hope-filled story to our grandchildren?
