A visit to Normandy
“They did not discriminate – they rescued and treated German soldiers as well as Allied ones, with equal compassion.”
During my summer trip to France this year, I decided to visit the Normandy beaches. Being a World War II buff, I was very excited to see firsthand the place where one of the most momentous days of the 20th century unfolded.
After spending the morning touring the beaches, I eventually ended up at a medieval church at Angoville-Au-Plain, a tiny village just south of Omaha beach. During the heat of the battle on D-Day, two US army medics named Bob Wright and Ken Moore had set up a makeshift aid station inside this church.
Throughout the day, the two medics brought wounded soldiers from the battlefield to the church, and treated them the best they could. They did not discriminate – they rescued and treated German soldiers as well as Allied ones, with equal compassion. They had only one rule - no weapons were allowed inside, and soldiers from both sides respected this rule. Even though the church was being constantly shelled, and even when it was about to be overrun by German troops, the two medics refused to leave and kept tending to the wounded. For their part, the German soldiers did not shoot the medics, despite having several opportunities to do so.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of these two young men, the lives of 80 American and German solders – and that of an eleven year old child – were saved.
On one level, this church looks like any other medieval church, with a few quirks. There is a small photo of the two Army medics near the altar. The broken stained glass windows have been replaced, one depicting the paratroopers from D-Day. There is, however, an overwhelming feeling that this is a special place, despite being the site where so many suffered and drew their last breath.
While there are still bloodstains on the pews and on the floor where the soldiers were treated, I felt an overall sense of peace - as if the compassionate and humane acts of the two medics had washed away the terrible after-effects of the brutal violence.
As I sat by myself in the church and took in the altar and the stained glass windows and the burning candles – it was this memory of unselfish humanity that felt truly divine.
Trustee
Abir is Co-founder and Executive Chairman at Gravie, a healthcare services company based in Minneapolis. Prior to Gravie, Abir founded and led several successful companies, including Bloom Health, RedBrick Health and Definity Health. Abir began his career at Deloitte Consulting. Abir earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Lawrence University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a member of the board of directors of Allina Health as well as the Animal Humane Society, and is a Trustee at Lawrence University.