Descriptive Writing: Omaha Beach

531 Words2 Pages

Hidden Truths
The ocean is a master of manipulation, using its beauty to make us forget the atrocities it’s capable of and the monstrous things that have happened within it. I’m reminded of this as miniscule grains of cream colored sand squishes under my feet and between my toes as I step onto Omaha Beach, the largest of the six beaches stormed on June sixth, 1944, also known as D-Day. Glimmering blue waves and warm sunshine peeking out from behind wisps of cottony clouds make it easy to forget Omaha’s dark past. However, less than seventy-five years ago the sand was stained crimson with blood and the waves carried countless corpses off to sea.
Gazing out into the never ending waters, my sepia brown eyes frantically search down the coast as far as I can see for any evidence of the bloody battle which once took place here. Instead, I find nothing but blue water that sparkles under the blazing sun and soft sand that's embedded with small purple shells. I continue to stare at the shoreline in disbelief, watching murky waves slowly role in and lap against land which leaves white foamy residue in its wake. …show more content…

The chilled air raises goosebumps against my pink tinted arms, yet it feels good in comparison to the sweltering afternoon heat. With the breeze comes the slightly bitter scent of sea salt, blown over from the light spray of water the waves create as they crash against dark, pointed, rocks. My nose scrunches up at the sour smell, but I cling to it. It’s comforting in a way, knowing that there’s at least one factor that remained constant through the course of time. Surely the soldiers who fought on the beach nearly a century ago smelled salt too. Whether it be from the ocean water as they sprinted into gunfire through the shallow water, or in the sweat that ran down their faces cutting through layers of paint and blood, or from the tears they shed before

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