The Normandy Passage
Admissions and Standards
This page is the plain language version of our promise. It tells you who we accept, what the fitness and conduct standards are, what is included in tuition, and how enrollment, waitlists, and solo matching work. It also explains deposits, balances, and refund windows.
The detailed seven day schedule stays internal by design. What you see here is what you need to decide with clear eyes whether The Normandy Passage is the right ground for you and your partner. If you cannot agree to the standards on this page, you should not apply.
Who We Accept
The Normandy Passage runs as a small, vetted cohort. Seats are offered to pairs and solo adults who can meet the standards and are ready for this ground.
Father & Son Pairs
Sons ages 14 years old and up. Father and son move, train, and are evaluated together. This is the core path.
Mother & Daughter Pairs
Daughters ages 14 years old and up. Same standard, same ground truth. Mothers are held to the same bar as fathers; daughters to the same bar as sons.
Committed Adult Pair
Two adults 18 or older who enroll together, such as brothers, sisters, cousins, or lifelong friends. You arrive together and are treated as one accountable unit for movement, inspections, and shared work.
Solo Adult (18 y/o & Up)
A vetted solo participant, 18 or older, matched with another solo by age band and maturity band. Until matched, the seat is marked Pending.
Physical Standards
Read Before You Enroll
If you are close to these numbers but not there yet, we will help you close the gap. Every enrolled participant receives a two month training program inside the membership portal to prepare for the Physical Standards Test and course movement. You are responsible for doing the work. We are responsible for giving you a clear plan.
Movement on the Ground
The Normandy Passage is built on real movement, not gym theory.
You must arrive able to:
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Move on foot for up to 10 total miles in a day, including shuffles between towns, museums, and fields.
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Hold a controlled shuffle for up to 7 miles in a single evolution with water stops, at roughly 10 to 14 minutes per mile, while staying alert and responsive to cadre.
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Carry your own load, stay hydrated, and keep your partner safe without turning the course into a medical risk.
Standards Test Minimums
Early in the week you will complete a Physical Standards Test under light fatigue, in boots and utility pants.
You must be capable of meeting all of the following minimums:
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45 push ups in 2 minutes
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45 sit ups in 2 minutes
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45 air squats in 2 minutes
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Dead hang pull ups, 6 for men, 3 for women
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1 mile run in boots and utility pants in 12 minutes or less
This is a safety bar, not a bragging right. If you cannot reach this baseline with training before arrival, you should not enroll.
Conduct and Reverence Standards
Read Before You Enroll
The Normandy Passage runs on discipline that matches the ground. If you cannot agree to these terms, you should not apply.
Discipline Model
Participants live inside a clear, simple standard.
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Phones are locked from Day One until the morning of Day Seven. No exceptions besides true emergencies through cadre.
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Colors, formations, and inspections are scored. You are expected to be on time, squared away, and accountable for your kit.
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When cadre call “Drop,” the requirement is ten push ups and recovery on your feet together. It is a reset, not a punishment.
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While tents are in use, one pair stands watch as directed. Everyone learns to look after the class, not only themselves.
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Alcohol, drugs, and any form of harassment or disrespect are grounds for immediate removal from the course at the participant’s expense.
Reverence on this ground
Normandy is not a backdrop. It is a graveyard and a community.
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Cemeteries, churches, and memorial interiors are quiet spaces. There are no drills, no formations, and no acting inside the rows or the chapels.
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Uniforms and kit are worn clean and squared away in sacred spaces. Costumes, glamorized combat, and joking at gravesites are not tolerated.
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In towns and businesses, students represent DLA and their home schools. Volume, language, and behavior are watched as closely as safety.
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Photography at cemeteries or with local families follows clear guidance. Some moments are meant to be held in memory, not posted.
Reverence is not a suggestion. It is a condition of enrollment.
Hardship with a Purpose
The Normandy Passage is demanding, but it is not BUD/S and it is not designed to break anyone.
What this is not
The Normandy Passage is not selection for Special Operations. It is not BUD/S, Ranger School, or any other course built to fail large numbers of people. It is not a reenactment camp, costume event, or extreme tourism. It is also not a substitute for clinical therapy.
If you are looking for humiliation, hazing, or social media stunts, this is the wrong ground.
What this is
This program is structured hardship with clear limits, built to grow courage, judgment, and empathy. Physical stress is controlled and supervised by experienced cadre. Every evolution is followed by debrief and journal work so students connect what they felt to what they learned.
The design draws on proven ideas from experiential education, stress inoculation and leadership development. Short periods of shared difficulty, handled well, help people tell the truth, listen to each other and carry lessons forward into families, units and classrooms. The goal is stronger people and better citizens, not tougher stories.
Every participant receives a two month training plan and pre course guidance so the hardship of the week is earned, not guessed at.
What you receive with enrollment
Tuition is not just seven days on the ground. Enrollment opens a full preparation and follow through cycle around the course itself.
Pre course preparation
Once your seat is confirmed you receive
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Secure access to the Normandy Passage online portal
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A two month physical training program built to reach the standards test safely
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Three live video calls with cadre for questions, expectations, and travel planning
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A complete packing and gear list with clear keep items and loaned items
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Guidance for medical clearance and for families who want to track preparation at home
The goal is that you arrive ready, not guessing.
On ground support
Your tuition on the ground includes
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Seven days of instruction from combat tested cadre and trained historians
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Lodging in GP Medium tents on cots with a transition into bunks if the standard is earned
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All program meals from arrival to departure
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Safety vehicles, medical coverage, and course logistics inside Normandy
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Issue of field loan gear for use during the course such as helmet, outerwear, web gear, canteen, mess kit and navigation tools
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A personal keep kit that goes home with you including DLA clothing, journal and selected marked items
You are paying for a complete environment, not only classroom time.
After action and follow through
The work does not end when you leave France. Enrollment also provides
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Structured after action reflection prompts to complete at home
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A follow up call with cadre or staff to review how you will apply what you learned
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Digital access to selected readings, maps and teaching resources for continued study
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Guidance for sharing your experience with family, units or classrooms without turning it into a performance
The intent is that this week becomes a turning point, not just a story.
How Enrollment Works
A clear process, no hidden steps.
Step by step
Choose your cohort and seat type
Review dates, location and pricing, then decide whether you are coming as a pair or as a solo adult.
Confirm you meet the standards
Read the physical, conduct and reverence standards on this page with your partner and, where appropriate, your doctor. If you cannot agree to them, do not enroll.
Complete the online enrollment
Fill out the online enrollment form for you and your partner. Solo adults complete the solo enrollment form and acknowledge the Solo 18 plus Matching Policy.
Pay deposit or full tuition at checkout
At checkout you choose either the deposit option or full tuition. If you choose the deposit, the system schedules your remaining balance to be charged automatically on the listed Balance Due date for your cohort.
Complete the packet before the deadline
Before the deadline you complete the electronic packet covering medical information, consent, conduct code, media and data protection. After the Balance Due date and packet completion you are locked into the cohort unless you move through the waitlist or transfer policy.
Enter preparation phase
Once enrollment and payment are confirmed you receive access to the online portal, the two month training plan, pre course calls and packing guidance so you arrive ready.
Money and timelines at a glance
Deposit and first payment
When you choose a cohort on the site you pay either the deposit or full tuition at checkout. If you choose the deposit option, the remaining balance and the “Balance Due No Later Than” date are shown before you confirm payment and in your confirmation details.
Balance charge and refund window
Each cohort has a published Balance Due date. Until that date you may cancel under the Refund Policy for that cohort. On the Balance Due date the system automatically charges your remaining balance to the card used at enrollment and the main refund window closes.
Refund amounts by date
Refunds are based on when you cancel relative to your cohort’s dates. The specific percentages and deadlines (including how deposits are treated) are listed on the Refund Policy page and in your enrollment documents, so you can see the numbers before you commit.
Waitlist upgrades and cohort transfers
If you are upgraded from the waitlist, any payments you have already made move with you. If you request to shift into a later cohort, the Waitlist and Cohort Transfer Policy explains how far in advance you must act for your payments to carry forward. Outside those windows, changes are treated as cancellations and follow the standard refund schedule.
Exact amounts and dates are listed on the site for your cohort and in your confirmation and enrollment documents. We do not add surprise fees later in the process.
Policies and key questions
Read these highlights, then review the full policies before you enroll.
What is your refund and cancellation policy
Tuition refunds depend on how far you are from your cohort start date when you cancel. Earlier cancellations return a larger portion. Closer to the start date a greater share becomes nonrefundable because DLA has already committed funds in France for your seat. Exact dates and percentages are listed on the Refund Policy page for each cohort.
How does the waitlist work
When a cohort is full you may join the waitlist for that specific run. If a seat opens it is offered in order to the waitlist. When you accept, any payments you have already made apply to that seat under the same financial terms. If you decline, you stay on the list or may move to a later cohort according to the Waitlist and Transfer Policy.
What if I need to move to a later cohort
You can request a transfer to a later cohort up to a clear cutoff before your current start date. If the request is inside that window your payments carry forward. After that point transfers are treated like cancellations and follow the refund schedule. The exact timelines are explained in the Waitlist and Cohort Transfer Policy.
How does solo matching for 18 plus work
Solo adults enroll like any other seat and acknowledge the Solo 18 plus Matching Policy. DLA matches solos by age band and maturity band and confirms the match before the course. If a safe and appropriate match cannot be made in time you are offered either a later cohort or a clean refund option as described in the Solo 18 plus Matching Policy.
What about medical issues and medications
All participants complete a medical section in the packet and bring any personal medications in accordance with our guidance. Certain conditions may require a letter from a physician stating that you are cleared for the listed physical standards. The medical section of the packet explains how we store medications, handle emergencies, and when a condition may make this course unsafe.
For full legal language and exact numbers, read the Refund Policy, Waitlist and Transfer Policy, Solo Matching Policy and medical terms in the enrollment packet before you pay.
Ready to step into The Normandy Passage
You are not booking a trip. You are choosing the ground where who you are gives way to who you will become.
You have seen who we accept, the standards we enforce, what enrollment includes, and how the money and timelines work. If you and your partner can agree to this with clear eyes, the next step is simple. Decide whether you are ready now, or whether you need to talk with the DLA team before you commit.