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The World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial honors American soldiers who died during operations in Europe during World War II . HISTORY The cemetery is located on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8 , 1944 , the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. LOCATION The cemetery is situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel in Colleville-sur-Mer , Normandy , France . It is just east of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and northwest of Bayeux , about 170 miles (274 km) west of Paris ( Google Maps ). DESCRIPTION The World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel in Colleville-sur Mer, France. It is just east of St. Laurent-sur-Mer and northwest of Bayeux about one hundred and seventy miles west of Paris. The cemetery is located on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944, the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery is at the north end of its one half mile access road and covers one hundred and seventy-two acres. It contains the graves of 9,387 American military Dead, most of whom gave their lives during the landings and ensuing operations of World War II. On the walls of the semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial are inscribed the names of 1,557 American Missing who gave their lives in the service of their country, but whose remains were not located or identified. The memorial consists of a semicircular colonnade with a loggia at each end containing maps and narratives of the military operations. At the center is a bronze statue titled, "Spirit of American Youth." An orientation table overlooks the beach and depicts the landings at Normandy. Facing west at the memorial, one sees in the foreground the reflecting pool, the mall with burial areas to either side and the circular chapel beyond. Behind the chapel are statues representing the United States and France. MISCELLANEOUS The cemetery is briefly featured at the beginning of Steven Spielberg 's 1998 film '' Saving Private Ryan '', as a much older Private James Ryan, accompanied by his family, makes his way to the grave of Capt. John Miller (played by Tom Hanks ) and segues into that movie's defining scene, the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach . Do not look for this grave because the headstone for Capt. John Miller was only brought to the cemetery for the movie. A Capt. John Miller never lived. The private Ryan story is based upon the story of the Niland Brothers . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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