Normandy

Normandy

written by: A.L. Paradiso

Peter Patter III here from PTEN News reporting on this solemn day.
A small corner of Normandy beach, exactly 661.944 square meters, has been dedicated on this 100th anniversary today, June 6, 2044, as a World Heritage site. We must never forget the atrocities of that war so it can never happen again.

The commission has chosen Omaha Beach as it is the site of the greatest Allied losses. The five beaches already have scores of museums, vivid reminders, and warfare artifacts, yet this new site adds visceral touches never dared before.

Of the thirteen Allied countries that took part in D-Day, U.S., British, and Canadian forces were dominant in planning and sending troops, yet several European countries supported them, even countries as far away as New Zealand and Australia.

This deliberately crowded site includes soldier representatives in war-torn uniforms with sturdy artificial skin to stand up to tourists’ habit of kissing them in thanks. One has coarse ‘stubble’ for added realism. Two injured soldiers continue to belly crawl despite obvious injuries.

The sand in the square has mixed grit for an uneasy feel to suggest what our determined soldiers may have felt — spent cartridges, torn uniforms, bones, and miscellaneous fragments. We expect the aroma of salt air and enhanced imitative body fragrances may trigger vivid scent memories. The nearby museum airs subtle, yet distant, sounds of artillery striking both sides on the quarter hour.

Within the 662-square-meter site are small shells and hand weapons (safeguarded) from each participating country. The crashing sounds of the irregular waves remind us of the barges unloading 130,000 soldiers who put their lives on the front line to repel evil and restore peace.

We offer this site in gratitude to our ancestors who changed our world. On this 100th anniversary of D-Day, we thank you again for your service. As I walk into the square, this soldier I’m approaching is leading a small group of determined warriors, and is especially important to me. As I hug him, I whisper into his damaged ear, “I’ll never forget, Gramps.”

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A.L. Paradiso

Born in Europe, English is his second language, following Italian—then Latin, Pig Latin, French, ASL and assorted computer languages. He now lives in upstate New York with two cats. He managed a series of oil company outlets; ran two of his own; became a mechanic, then truck driver, did direct sales; became a Field Engineer for main frame computers. After ten years he switched to software and worked ten more years, receiving world wide acclaim, as a System Programmer. In college he took a dislike to writing of any kind and swore never to try that again. Well, some years later, influenced by Babylon 5's creator and his own pressure to write about three traumatic events, he turned to creative writing. As of September 2024, he has shared ~240 published stories with others online, (over 7.2 million views on two sites), in thirty-nine anthologies, and two literary journals. Author, instructor, storyteller. He is listed in "Who's Who of Emerging Writers 2020 and 2021."

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