Unveiled the week before the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2024, this new monument at Saint Laurent sur Mer stands just a few metres away from the sands of Omaha Beach.
It pays tribute to US Naval Combat Demolition Units and Scouts & Raiders who were present during the landings and gives the history of the men and legacies which led to the creation of the current US Navy SEALs.
The monument features a series of granite, graphic boards charting the story of the NCDU and S&R units in Normandy and a timeline towards the modern day units. Sadly, there are mistakes on some of the graphic boards, including the names of divisions which landed on Utah and Omaha beaches.
At the centre of the park is a ‘hedgehog’ beach obstacle which originally came from Omaha and was donated by the Overlord Museum in nearby Collevile-sur-Mer.
The hedgehog stands in a display which contains sand from over 100 locations where NCDU, S&R, and their successors, the Navy SEALs, have fought, trained, and died.