Robey W. Estes Sr. Plaza

Robey W. Estes Sr. Plaza is the third major element of the National D-Day Memorial. , A stylized triumphal arch bearing the invasion's code name (Overlord) surmounts the plaza, rising forty-four and one half feet high (for 6/6/44). Estes Plaza celebrates the breaching of Fortress Europe and the consolidation of the foothold in France, By D+2, the communications zone (Comm Z) had begun to take shape. Comm Z is the rear area of a theater of operations that includes lines of communications (telephone lines, roads, railroad tracks, pipe lines, and airstrips), logistical bases, forward operating areas, field hospitals, and other agencies and services needed to support and maintain the front. The stylized field tents on either side of the arch symbolize the semi-permanence of the Comm Z, and the narrative plaques on the walls surrounding Estes Plaza recognize units that passed through, defended, or became part of it. , Much of the Allied war material moved inland by express truck. Given Mr. Estes' strong influence on the trucking industry after the war, the designation of this section of the Memorial as Estes Plaza is particularly appropriate.