Success Story

On behalf of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, I would like to thank MCUF for your support of our recent Professional Military Education (PME) trip to Normandy, France in May 2022. Our Region Headquarter staff was able to attend the PME trip, made possible thanks to your support.

The PME consisted of two days of touring with nearly ten hours of instruction, with information ranging from the strategic down to the tactical level. We visited multiple beaches and the Normandy American Cemetery. At Gold Beach, we focused on the the remainders of the massive concrete barriers that had been sunk by the Allies in the days following the invasion. We compared the methods used during Operation Overlord to our own present-day amphibious and expeditionary logistical capabilities.

On Omaha Beach, we paid homage to the thousands of American casualties suffered. We studied the defensive positions of the Germans, and how many of the defensive techniques they used that we still use to this day. We also studied the tactics used to overcome the defenses.

We walked the grounds of two separate bunker complexes in vicinity of Omaha Beach and Sword Beach that had protected German coastal artillery pieces. We discussed the approach the Allies took to destroy the bunkers, and the effect that intelligence had on the Allies’ offensive operations in the first few days of the battle.

The educational benefits of the trip were substantial, and again, thank you for making this once in a lifetime experience possible.  Thank you to all the donors and sponsors who generously support Marines through MCUF.