American Battle Monuments Commission — Local services in Arlington

We visited the Normandy memorials this week and were horrified by the limitations put on visitors to the Normandy American cemetery in Colleville-sur -Mer and Pointe du Hoc. The entire block of graves was cordoned off to prevent visitors from visiting any of the graves. Not a part, not half, the entire cemetery was effectively closed to visitors. According to local people I spoke to, this has been the state of the cemetery since last year. The American Battle Monuments Commission is being managed by incompetent bureaucrats with an agenda that runs against their mandate I have been told that these limitations are to save the lawn from excessive wear, but this is just the lazy solution. This is one of the most visited American Memorials in the world! The elimination of fertilizers to promote a green agenda and the selection of “climate change friendly plants and grasses” have exacerbated the problem. Use fertilizer, plant resistant grasses, or if a section of the cemetery must be closed, close only a part not the entire cemetery!! The visitors who have travel thousands of miles would understand, especially if the Superintendents would bother to post some signs explaining their reasoning, but they don’t. Then 10 years ago the path to the beach was closed for security reasons???!! Please. The parking area is wide open. There are dozens of ways into the cemetery. The most difficult and least accessible entry into the cemetery was the beach path. There is very little security in the cemetery except for in the museum. Closing the beach path that American heroes used to conquer Omaha Beach was to make the life of bureaucrats easier. The path should be reopened immediately. And finally, Pointe du Hoc has been permitted to be overrun by “indigenous vegetation” to prevent climate change. Really? That was not the state of the installation in 1944. They have also closed off access to almost all of the emplacements and craters while limiting access to the majority of the site with fences. This is France. If you fall down and get injured, it’s your own fault. There is no danger of getting sued! There is another battery at Longues-sur-Mer run by the French, and it is completely open. Why can the French open a site and permit complete access and the USA limits the freedom of the visitor to explore and see the site.

I am an American Citizen and Army Veteran who currently lives in France. I have been visiting Normandy at least once a year since 2003. Things have changed for the worse at the ABMC and at the Normandy memorials they are charged with honoring and supporting. I am bringing a group of 20 Americans friends and 6 of my Veteran buddies to Normandy for D-Day.

I hope some changes can be made by then. We would really like to see the path to the beach which the liberators first took on June 6, 1944 reopened! And the cemetery lawns reopened for a start! Hopefully Point du Hoc can also be restore to its pre-Obama state of care where visitors could visit the entire site without limitations and the wild under-growth is again kept in check to restore the appearance of the site as it was on June...

What an amazing organization. I recently spent a week in Europe tracing the steps of my relatives who fought in World War I & II. I was able to visit grave sites at three different cemeteries, and I was treated with with an incredible level of kindness. The staff at Oise-Aisne, Ardennes, and Lorraine Cemeteries were incredible and went above and beyond to make my experience special. Each visit was beyond my expectations, so I can't thank...

I was the only one there on the morning I arrived and received a personal tour. The bravery and selflessness exhibited by the people who fought in World War II is awe inspiring. There is quite a bit to see so expect to stay several hours. It is worth the trip. ...