Eleventh Weekend- American Military Cemeteries

For our Eleventh Weekend here, we sort of compiled a hodgepodge of sights to see. Matthew, my navigator, found a route we could take and knockout several important sights in one weekend. We covered three countries and five cities on our tour. Our first stop was St. Avold, France.
Lorraine American Cemetery is the largest American world War II Cemetery in Europe. The cemetery houses the graves of war heroes from WWI and WWII, and covers 113.5 acres of land.


Above you can see Isaac and Daphne outside the chapel building. Below you'll see photos from inside the chapel.

I don't think you quite get the feel of the place with only the still pictures, so I have included Matt's video of the interior of the chapel. There is no footage of the children in this one, so if you are looking for that, try the next video down. This video is purely to give you an idea of the layout and sacred nature of the Memorial's Chapel. The entire space was so solemn and beautiful.

Matt heard about this memorial from some of his co-workers. When he told me he wanted to see it, I said, "Sure", feeling somewhat apathetic about the adventure. I wanted to see these sites, but I'm not certain that I would have made it a priority without Matt's nudging.

I am so glad we went. I cannot imagine our trip without this experience. We have seen sites of devastation from WWII and seen museums commemorating the loss of European and Jewish life here. But to see the graves of the Americans who gave their lives to this cause was a deeply moving experience. I suppose such an experience cannot be re-created in the blogosphere, but I want to remember what we saw and felt that day, so I guess you'll have to endure my detailed account.

This section was particularly moving to me. The wall memorializing those whose bodies were never recovered or found- those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and whose families have no headstone to visit... As you leave the chapel, you walk down these steps and see the sea of crosses- each marking the body of one our Nation's fallen soldiers. I knew 10,000 was large amount, but seeing it in such a capacity was heart-breaking and so meaningful. I know my words are a pathetic attempt to describe the experience... I wish I were more eloquent, but maybe the picture shares more:

My family. Free. Living in the most blessed country on this earth. Free to worship as we please. Free to work and live and die and find happiness. Free to walk through Europe with no fear of harm. Free. Thank you. Thank you.

After we walked through the cemetery portion, we arrived at the actual monument. You can see this part behind Matt and the kids.

As we walked up inside the monument, we saw these inscriptions on either side:

You can look out past the eagle's head to the cemetery. So beautiful.

Matt and I were both very impressed with how well-kept these memorials were. One thing we have noticed in Europe is that (with the exception of the gorgeous gardens) the lawns are sort of willy-nilly. The yards or open grassy areas are often just as much weed as grass. As soon as we walked into the official American Cemeteries, we noticed the beautiful lawns and gardens. The care of these spaces is clearly meticulous and thoughtful. It seemed as though each space was perfectly trimmed and green. We both felt that it was a lovely service and way to honor these soldiers.

You can see from the inscription- we visited the Cemetery 70 years and 1 day after the cavalry left this site to join the battle.

We left St. Avold, France and headed toward Luxembourg, Luxembourg. This city is the site of another American Cemetery, not as large as St. Avold.

The actual memorial is a small chapel, seen here.

Inside the chapel was so peaceful- so tranquil and beautiful. In both chapels there were places reserved for prayer and meditation.

We were particularly touched by the inscriptions on the walls:

Especially the next one. I posted something previously about freedom; more specifically about how I was sad that some German Protestors were using their freedom of speech to spout hateful things about our country. Certainly, they were free to express their opinion, just as I was free to express mine in rebuttal. I suppose the issue that saddened me is the perception that our country is somehow evil for being involved in the war in Iraq.

That quote is so poigniant. I think somehow, those of us who believe that America is trying to accomplish good in Iraq become portrayed as people who support war, or who do not understand the tremendous sacrifice and horror that comes out of war. Please make no mistake: I abhor war. I wish that it never had to happen. But I do believe that there are things in life worth fighting for. In the words of Captain Moroni:

In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—

One of the things that I think is so noble about our country is that we make no peace with oppression. Peace is a noble cause- it is a beautiful ideal. I pray for peace. But peace is not achieved by turning a blind eye to the oppressions of others.

The ceiling is a remarkable mosaic, depicting the Holy Ghost as a dove being held on a cloud by four angels:

Next we were able to walk out and visit the grave of General Patton. He requested to be buried here in Luxembourg with the rest of his troops. A short time after his burial, his body was moved to the head of the cemetery, placing him symbolically in command once more.

The cemetery at Luxembourg was much smaller, half the size of St. Avold, and houses the remains of 5, 076 American Military dead, including one female Army nurse.

In 22 instances, two brothers rest side-by-side in adjacent graves.

We tried very much to convey to our children the sacred nature of the cemetery, but reverence is not easy for children at any time, let alone when they have been driving in the car for hours! They enjoyed the visits and were good sports- trying to listen and learn.

On our way out, Victoria had to get her bottles. She is the first of my children to refuse a pacifier, and I'm afraid that the bottle has sort of taken that place for her. She seemed quite content with two bottles here:

We left these monuments feeling deep gratitude and humility. We feel so blessed and grateful to have been born in a country that is free. We know that our freedom was earned at an immeasurable cost and I hope that visiting these sites will inspire us to show our gratitude more freely.