When perusing guidebooks on New Orleans, some expected words fill your eyes: Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, po’boys, gumbo, cemetery tours, The National D-Day Museum... wait, The National what Museum? Maybe it’s just me, but shouldn’t a museum dedicated to the day that "will live in infamy" be in, say, Washington, D.C., or how about Normandy? While The National D-Day Museum and the militaristic building that contains it seems a little harsh for the laid-back attitude of a city that prides itself on its food, drink, and nightlife, the museum gracefully accomplishes its bold undertaking –- a sort of historical memorial for those who died that day and a place of reflection for those still alive who served beside them, all the while imbedding the events surrounding World War II and D-Day into the minds of those lucky enough to not have known it in the present tense.

Words, and even sometimes images, about a thing you did not see or event you did not participate in have a way of passing by a brain that blocks out all things of misery. But being that it was the 61st anniversary of the D-Day landing and the 5th anniversary of the museum’s opening, history suddenly made itself intense and piercing through the shuffling walks of aging veterans, accompanied by their, spouses, children, and grandchildren, who can still see themselves as the 22-year-old man landing on the solid beach as others collapsed around them.

Moving away from the bunches of camouflage and formal Army uniforms and the massive but simple Higgins Landing boat inside the entrance, Laura and I begin to move through the exhibits opening up on the second floor. As displays and placards pass by, the creativity with which each exhibit has been assembled and the care that has been taken to erase any striking similarities between exhibits, from the toy soldiers in front of the German, Japanese, and American flags showing how much the Americans were outnumbered to a replica of a large telescope-like viewer they used to spot ships at sea, is astounding. The small viewing centers displaying personal testimony of D-Day veterans scattered throughout the museum continue to emphasize the human element of D-Day when there is no veteran around recalling his memories for an 8-year-old grandchild, while little-known facts around the compelling displays solidify the tortuous nature of the war.

And then there are the starkest elements of the museum, even more poignant than the well-constructed exhibits –- the photos, most resized to overblown proportions. There is the soldier facedown in the sand, as if he had just toppled over; the killed machine gunner with a pool a blood spilling from his limp body as he lie crumpled; and the emaciated faces and bodies of those found dead in a concentration camp’s mass grave after the war’s end, while many other photographs have eyes staring intensely from inside that world, not letting you leave until you’ve seen all one can bear.

This World War II Museum is located in the Warehouse District and was put together by historian Stephen Ambrose. Please give yourself a full day to see it. It is huge! We planned to spend 2 hours here and ended up having to rush through. The museum not only focuses on the events that took place on June 6 and 7, 1944, in Europe, but it also tells the story of D-Day in the Pacific theatre by exhibiting a large array of memorabilia from the battles, as well as multi-sensory displays. I really enjoyed the showroom, which displayed some tanks, planes, German officers' cars, etc., and the recreation of hedgerow in the French countryside, with a crashed British glider in the background. If you look closely enough, you will see German machine guns pointing at you through the hedges! If you are not a serious fan of WWII history, this may be information overload and you will be bored. Otherwise, it's a very well-done and thorough museum.

The National D-Day Museum represents the new style of exhibition, one of being more interactive, with multimedia presentations throughout featuring, for example, taped eyewitness testimony to the events of D-Day combined with archival footage. The museum has expanded since it first opened its doors to include the Pacific Theater in WWII. Much like the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., many of the Pacific wing's exhibits are not recommended for children under 14 or those who are easily upset. I appreciate the honesty in these exhibits, though, because I feel it does not "baby" the audience.

Seeing the museum takes about 2 hours, and the facility is easily reached by using public transportation. (The Magazine Street bus can be picked up at Canal at Camp. at a cost of $1.25; exact change is needed). The museum fee for adults is $10. If you are hungry, there is a small snack bar, but the food is middling at best. Plan to lunch somewhere else.

The entrance, as well as the sidewalks outside, is paved with bricks inscribed with names of veterans. My dad, PFC Pedro E. Garcia, is to your right of the entrance, just before the stairs. I was very pleased with the location of his brick. Bricks may still be purchased for $100. The museum is still growing and plans a major expansion in the coming years.

Magazine Street is considered to be one of New Orleans’ main attractions; it is replete with shops, antiques, galleries, restaurants, souvenir shops, and the like. However, the array is not continuous and the breaks between the "interesting" spots can be long and barren. We were walking around the Warehouse District and came upon this museum by total surprise. Neither one of us knew of its existence, and for the kind of day it was, the perfect antidote to pouring rain.

As you approach the entrance, if you look down, or actually, you don’t even have to look down, you’ll notice that you are stepping on inlaid bricks with names on them-hundreds and hundreds of names. They commemorate the fallen of the World War II years. As general information, admission for adults is $10, whereas seniors and students pay only $6. Members and children under 5 are free. There is wheelchair access, and the museum is open 7 days a week, from 9 am to 5 pm. They are closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and of course, Mardi Gras.

As you enter the main building, the very high ceiling, with hanging Spitfire and Avenger airplanes, greets you; there is a reproduction of the famous Higgins boat (that allowed for amphibian landing and was built on the bayou) and German staff cars, which can make one a bit uneasy.

The saga is recounted "blow by blow," as America was a latecomer to this war. There is a striking wall in the exhibit that shows some of the propaganda used in the U.S., which was quite racist against the Asians. There was no such thing as political correctness at the time. They also painted quite a grim picture of the Americans.

The Omaha Beach event is retold with bursting pride, and was at the time, deemed to be the largest and most complex amphibious attack in history. You also get a glimpse of how much better equipped U.S. soldiers were, down to their personal effects, as compared with the British. There is a superb and extensive retelling of the involvement in the Pacific, with horrific tales of happenings in the Philippines, Iow Jima, Okinawa, etc.

Leaving no stone unturned, Hitler’s maniacal final solution is given ample mention. Though there were quite a few recorded newsreels from the actual time and commentaries, it is impossible to listen to them all. I find the personal testimonials the most interesting. This was a time of real sacrifice both overseas and at home. The D-Day Museum also houses the Malcolm S. Forbes Theater; there one can view two films: D-Day Remembered, which speaks of the war in Europe, and Price for Peace, which recalls the war in the Pacific. Interestingly, we learn that its founder, Stephen E. Ambrose, together with Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks dedicated the museum on June 6, 2000.

An unbelievable, sequential walking tour of the D-Day Invasion. They take you from the beginning of WWII to the end, with special emphasis on the D-Day Invasion itself. It's a very sobering tour that makes you realize just how much we gave for the price of freedom.