When I was in college, one of my sorority sisters told us of visiting the American Cemetery built above the beaches of Normandy, France. She and her mother, who never remarried by the way, made the trip there just after she graduated from high school.

They went specifically to visit her father's grave, one of over 9,000 who died at Normandy and around those infamous beaches--Omaha and Utah being the most well-known--on June 6, 1944, more familiarly known as D Day. My friend was born just a few months before that momentous day.

Among those laid to eternal rest in this famous cemetery are three Medal of Honor winners, one of whom is Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Thirty eight sets of brothers also lie side by side here.

This two-minute video provides a brief look at the American Cemetery at Normandy Beach. .



It is one of several American cemeteries scattered throughout France and Europe.

When scholarly sources differ on the number of deaths in a country, a range of war losses is given, in order to inform readers that the death toll is disputed. Civilians killed totaled from 40 to 52 million, including 13 to 20 million from war-related disease and famine. Total military dead: from 22 to 25 million, including deaths in captivity of about 5 million prisoners of war.

All told about 2.5 per cent of the total world population perished in this most deadly of all wars.

Statistics provided by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties