Tunes of Glory

Ramrod-stiff but with the old war rior's slow, halting gait, General of the Army Omar Bradley, 76, walked across the Normandy field, gazing somberly upon the long, orderly rows of white crosses that mark the American cemetery near Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. From Cherbourg to Le Havre, thousands of survivors of the Allied forces returned to the Continent last week to recall their roles on Dday, a quarter of a century ago. Lord Lovat, the commando leader, and General Sir Richard Gale, the British airborne commander, were back in uniform to commemorate the day. U.S. General James ("Jumpin' Jim") Gavin, now a corporate executive and persistent Viet Nam critic, chose to sit quietly in his car and greet fel low paratroopers from his old 82nd and the 101st Airborne divisions.

There was a brief ceremony at Bayeux, the cathedral town about five miles inland that served as U.S. headquarters during the first weeks after the invasion. Later, a torch was lighted at Utah Beach, where the 4th Division had land ed, and a military band played the na tional anthems of the U.S., Britain, France, Canada, The Netherlands, Belgium and Norway.

The visitors lingered by the graves of their fallen comrades, and in the vil lage squares, local musicians played tunes of glory. Most of the returning warriors, however, sought to revive their memories on the Normandy beaches -- Omaha, Juno and Utah. Some brought their families, and under a bright, sunny sky, they tried to describe the all-or-nothing assault upon Hitler's Festung Europa. For many it was the second longest day.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.