WASHINGTON, June 4, 2004 - Sand from the five landing beaches on D-Day, June 6, 1944, has been turned into "Sands of Remembrance" sculptures on France's Normandy Beach to pay homage to those who shed their blood for freedom 60 years ago, said Carmella LaSpada, director of the White House Commission on Remembrance. "This is the first time in history this has been done - sand sculpture on the beaches of Normandy depicting the landing on the beaches," LaSpada said during a recent interview from her White House office. The Sands of Remembrance tribute evolved out of discussions between LaSpada and sand sculptors John Gowdy, an American, and Dale Murdock, a Canadian. They decided to create a historically accurate life size sand sculpture on Normandy Beach to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. The historically accurate, life-size sculptures were created by Gowdy; Murdock; Matthew Deibert of the United States; Mark Anderson and Edward Dudley of the United Kingdom; and Guillaume Pelletier and Julien Legaes of France. The original sand sculptures were on exhibit until June 6, 2004 in Vierville-sur Mer on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.
