The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II cemetery and memorial located in Colleville-sur-Mer, in Normandy, France, that honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II.
Nati o n a l W WII Mu se um Of f e r s MSU -Mer i d i a n H i stor y S tude nt Tri p o f a L i fe ti m e By Lisa Sollie For one Mississippi State University-Meridian senior, studying history is more than academics—it’s a way of life. Kayla Jordan recently joined 17 other college students from around the country for a travel experience of a lifetime—the National WWII Museum’s Normandy Academy. The native of Sweetwater, Alabama, who grew up visiting historical sites during family vacations and became docent of a small museum at age 16, said this latest experience was a rare opportunity to immerse herself in the historical period of World War II. Students began their nine-day journey in New Orleans at The National WWII Museum, spending several days touring exhibits, exploring artifacts and hearing from WWII veterans. “The museum was much larger than I initially realized,” Jordan said. “I feel like the tour really helped prepare us for the sheer scope and scale of this war and how it impacted, not only the particular region we were going to visit in France and what it meant to the French and Americans, but also to the English and Canadians and everyone involved.”
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VISION 2020 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
From New Orleans, the group flew to France to tour Normandy at Pegasus Bridge, where the first shots of the invasion were fired by British troops a few minutes after midnight on June 6. They also visited the Pegasus Museum and Grand Bunker Museum, learning of the missions that were carried out before the 1944 seaborne landings. Their next stop was Arromanches and the Cinema Circulaire Arromanches 360 film. Projected in high definition on nine screens, the film tells the story of the Battle of Normandy and is a tribute to the solders from every country and the 20,000 civilians killed during this battle for the liberation of Europe. “Watching this film and seeing how much WWII has impacted the world as we know it today was sobering,” Jordan said. “While in the states, the main focus was the impact of the war on Americans and our country, but here in France, we were faced with the realization that this was a war not just fought on battlefields, but in people’s homes, backyards and in their towns. Seeing it all up close and personal was quite surreal.”
