The son of President Ronald Reagan is spearheading an extraordinary new memorial in Normandy to serve as a lasting honor to those who gave of themselves in service to the liberation of France and Europe during World War II.
Michael Reagan says the “Walkway to Victory” memorial will feature rows of engraved, personalized bricks, each carrying the name of a veteran, followed by a quote or personal information about him or her.
The new memorial is located at the Airborne Museum in Sainte Mere Eglise, Normandy, France, and is dedicated especially to the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
“This is a wonderful project to honor our veterans, co-sponsored by the Reagan Legacy Foundation and Airborne Museum,” says Reagan, a noted political commentator and longtime Newsmax contributor.
“It’s a great opportunity to honor a family member or friend who served in the European Campaign — to have them remembered forever. Those who flew and jumped out of planes, who fought The Battle of the Bulge, who served their country.”
Normandy has long been the symbol of the turning point in World War II. Thousands of U.S., British, Canadian, and French troops launched a combined naval, air, and land assault as dawn broke there on June 6, 1944.
The invasion weakened the Nazis' hold on Western Europe after they suffered a punishing defeat in Stalingrad in the east.
Reagan’s participation in the memorial project is definitely a family affair — his father, President Ronald Reagan, served as a first lieutenant in the 18th Army Air Force Base Unit, made hundreds of military films for the war effort, and vigorously promoted the sales of war bonds.
President Reagan was also the first commander in chief ever to visit Normandy on the anniversary of D-Day.
In a moving speech he gave there on June 6, 1984, Reagan stated that the soldiers who fought “had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge — and pray God we have not lost it — that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.”
“My dad would be ecstatic and proud of this brick program to permanently express gratitude to our veterans from all branches of the United States Armed Services,” Michael Reagan said.
The “Walkway to Victory” memorial project, which was officially launched last April, offers two sizes of bricks: the first measuring 4 by 8 inches with room for 3 engraved lines of text for $250, and the second measuring 8 by 8 inches with room for 5 engraved lines of text for $500.
Proceeds from the “Walkway to Victory” brick purchases will benefit the Reagan Legacy Foundation and The Airborne Museum for further educational programs honoring WWII vets and for scholarships for the crew and families of those deployed on the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan.
For more information on how you can participate, visit The Reagan Legacy Foundation.
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