At Colleville-sur-Mer American Cemetery, the Star-Spangled Banner flies proudly over this small piece of French land where the remains of 9,387 American, Scottish, Canadian, and English servicemen are buried. The free disposal of the land has been granted to the United States in perpetuity, but the site remains subject to French law. Visitors are greeted by an imposing bronze statue several metres high representing the ‘Spirit of American Youth rising from the Waves’. At its feet, a pool of water lilies symbolises the sea where so many of these young soldiers lost their lives on D-Day.