Ben Logan group visits Normandy

A group of 14 travelers from Benjamin Logan Schools are on a 12-day European educational tour which includes England, France and Italy by planes, trains and buses.

As the students stood above Omaha and Utah beaches on Pointe du Hoc it was a reminder that freedom and liberty are not without a price. That price for many is unspeakable courage and sacrifice.

The group traveled to the Normandy American Cemetery on Wednesday which contains the graves of 9,386 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations.

BLHS junior Lauren Hemmelgarn said,“The trip to Normandy helped me realize the tragedy and suffering of our brave soldiers. But it also helped me see how even through the worst times something good could come out of it, as I watched people playing on the beach laughing and having fun. “

Also attending was BL alum Elanie McWade. Even though she’s a graduate and attending the University of Toledo she was still able to participate in the educational trip that she had planned on two summers ago.

“Visiting the beaches of Normandy today was something that I have never experienced before in my life. Walking the trails and the beaches that 70+ years ago was a total war zone is something hard to describe. Pictures can capture the beautiful sceneries and memorials of what happened but the feeling you get actually walking there is amazing and unreal.“