Today we go in search of the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial.
The U.S. 5th Armored Division liberated the site on September 10, 1944. A temporary military burial ground was established on December 29, 1944. The current site was dedicated in 1960.
The American Battle Monuments Commission--agency of the U.S. government operates and maintains 25 American cemeteries and 26 memorials, monuments and markers in 16 countries. As soon as you step into the cemetery and see row after row of white crosses and Stars of David , your heart fills with gratitude and awe.
In this particular site, there are 4,958 crosses, 118 Stars of David, 371 missing in action, 101 unknowns, 22 sets of brothers and 1 woman.
As are all American military cemeteries, this one is impeccably maintained.
The Chapel is small and reverent. The ceiling is a colorful mosaic.
The Tablets of the Missing will give you pause.
This is the final resting site of General George S. Patton, Jr., commander of the Third U.S. Army.
Next we drove north to Bastogne, Belgium, the site of a major battle and home to the Bastogne War Museum and War Memorial.
As we approached the memorial we first passed a statue of an eagle standing over a military helmet. It is dedicated to the American 101st Airborne.
We then came to the Mardasson Memorial, named after the hill it sits atop. It's a star shaped-structure with all the states listed in alphabetical order, except for Alaska and Hawaii that were added.
The American units which participated in the Battle of the Bulge are recognized throughout the memorial.
We climbed the spiral staircase to the top.
We could see for miles and could imagine battles that occurred 70 years ago.
In the town of Bastogne, there is a monument to Brigadier General Anthony C. MacAuliffe. He met a German surrender demand with a typewritten response of a single word: "Nuts".
That response is still celebrated.
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