“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth” —Abraham Lincoln, “The Gettysburg Address”

The American Cemetery in Normandy, France, sits on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel. It contains the graves of approximately 10,000 American soldiers, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and subsequent operations. Many of them were teenagers or in their early 20s. Wars invariably kill the young and progenitors of future generations. Strolling the serene, sublime hollowed grounds, it is impossible not to feel pride and gratitude for the brave, fallen soldiers.