Tour guide in Bayeux Monica B.

Hi! My World War II interest started with admiration for military vehicles, and I was only 16 years old when I had my first military motorcycle. After finishing High School, I visited my family in California and stayed there for a few months, bought a 1944 Willys Jeep in San Francisco and had it shipped to Holland where I’m originally from. My first trip to Normandy was for the 45th anniversary of D-Day in 1989. By then, driving a Half-Track and started to become very knowledgeable about British and US WWII vehicles. Overwhelmed by the number of veterans present, and with great interest, I listened to their stories. From then on, I really wanted to know what had happened on the Normandy beaches and surroundings and started to read books, watch documentaries and keep listening to the veterans' stories. I had one family member who fought in Normandy, my uncle Nick from New Jersey. He would never talk to me about what he went through. I have always been involved in WWII events, vehicles, shows, and businesses over the years and have gathered a large collection of WWII Allied women's uniforms. But the best part of my life and the greatest value of all time is meeting and becoming friends with so many veterans. In 2007, I attended and graduated from jump school with Pathfinder Holland (now Parachute Group Holland). This made me able to jump from a C-47 on the original Drop Zone of Operation Market Garden at Ginkel Heath, Wolfheeze, during the anniversary of Market Garden in 2007. Before I moved to Sainte Mère Église in 2014, I visited Normandy numerous times over the years to build my knowledge and to see firsthand where and how the events happened here on the beaches. I’ve been a D-Day guide since I moved to France. On my tours, I love sharing my knowledge and personal stories from some of the veterans. I’ve spend a lot of time in the USA and England so my English is very good.