On June 6, 1944 U.S. Army Rangers climbed the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc on a mission General Omar Bradley called the most dangerous assignment of the D-Day invasion. ABMC commemorated the 67th anniversary of this battle on June 6, 2011 with a ceremonial reopening and rededication of the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Memorial. This memorial site had been closed to the public for 10 years because of safety concerns resulting from decades of cliff erosion.
"The 155mm guns at Pointe du Hoc could have devastated the American landing beaches on D-Day had the rangers not been successful," said ABMC Secretary Max Cleland. "We couldn't allow this historic site and the courage and sacrifice it represents to be lost to future generations." Secretary Cleland’s comments were echoed by all those who participated in the ceremony.
Sitting atop this historic site on the cliffs of Omaha Beach, D-Day veterans, along with current and former members of Congress, the U.S. Ambassador to France, the ABMC Board of Commissioners, French government officials, and family members of the late James Earl Rudder, D-Day commander of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, commemorated this historic day.
Pointe Du Hoc reopened to the public in March 2011.