D-Day, the Normandy Invasion of June 6, 1944, was the turning point in World War II ?EUR??,,????'??? the decisive battle that spelled the beginning of the end for Hitler?EUR??,,????'???s dream of Nazi Domination of the world. It was the largest air, land, and sea landing ever undertaken, and included 5,333 ships, almost 11,000 air planes, 50,000 military vehicles, and over 154,000 soldiers. The landing resulted in 9,758 casualties for the Allied forces, including 6,603 for the United States.

The National D-Day Memorial Foundation is a nonprofit educational foundation warranted by Congress to establish, in Bedford, Virginia, and maintain for the nation, a memorial to the valor, fidelity, and sacrifices of the Allied Armed Forces who landed in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944.

The specific mission of this Foundation is to establish a memorial complex, consisting of a National Monument, Amphitheater and an Education Center, that commemorates and preserves the legacy of D-Day.

On June 6, 1994, free men and women around the world remembered a pivotal moment in modern history. Silent for half a century, memories of D-Day began to resonate. Such experiences, however intense or meaningful, fade in the absence of opportunity for revival. The National D-Day Memorial Complex will provide this opportunity. Over the next few years, many D-Day veterans will no longer be with us. The Foundation unveiled the Monument and Victory Plaza on May 29, 2000 and the dedication ceremony of the fully completed Memorial Complex (including the Monument?EUR??,,????'???s reflecting pools and statuary) on June 6, 2001.

The nine-acre Monument features a 44-foot 6-inch tall granite arch with the word ?EUR??,,????'??Overlord?EUR??,,????'?? across the top. ?EUR??,,????'??Operation Overlord?EUR??,,????'?? was the Allied Forces?EUR??,,????'??? code name for the Normandy landing. Centered beneath the monument arch is the featured piece of statuary, a bayonet affixed to a rifle and stuck into the ground, with the rifle toped by a helmet. Titled ?EUR??,,????'??The Final Tribute,?EUR??,,????'?? the statuary represents the temporary graves of soldiers who fell in combat.

Victory Plaza is about one acre in size, semi-circular in design, with five points of inlaid granite representing the five Normandy beaches: Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword, and Juno. Flags of the 12 Allied nations (United States, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, United Kingdom) supplying forces and/or materials for the D-Day landing ring the perimeter.

Water flows over a 16-foot story wall into a series of reflecting pools. A bridge crosses the water flow at the base of a wall which is designed to represent the German bunkers which lined the tops of the Normandy cliffs. A replica of the Higgins landing craft extends into an area of water beneath the story wall to depict the Channel crossing and the treacherous water trails forged by the soldiers in order to gain a foot-hole as they came ashore. The Monument also envisions additional dioramas and story walls, incorporating sculptures in and around the reflecting pools to commemorate significant names and moments of the historic event.

The Education Center recalls the architecture of the fortified bunkers the Allies encountered as they came ashore in Normandy. The 49,000-square-foot facility will include The Arnold M. Spielberg Theater, exhibit spaces; seminar, meeting and video viewing rooms; computer education work stations; as well as research and archival spaces. In addition, three thematic galleries will feature the clergy, the medical profession, and cartoon art as each relates to D-Day both on the battlefront and homefront. The architectural design carefully relates to outdoor exhibit areas, and special care will be taken to ensure that all facilities are completely accessible.

The Education Center will function as a living memorial by teaching, particularly to students, the history of D-Day, thereby preserving its legacy.

The National D-Day campaign chairman was Charles M. Schultz until his death in 2001. At that time his wife took over as chairperson.