In Their Footsteps
"What are you thinking, Keith?"
I stopped and turned to look at Janet. "This is surreal. It's one thing to read about something, to understand the history, even to see the dramatization of it... its entirely different to be here to see things for myself; I can only imagine what Normandy will be like."
"Sort of like Gettysburg was?" Janet inquired, bringing back the memories of walking that battleground: standing where the 20th Maine Regiment stood on Little Round Top, gazing across the fields from Cemetery Ridge and visualizing Pickett's charge.
After a long moment, I replied, "Yes, exactly..."
* * *
Memorial Day weekend holds a special place on our family calendar. The weekend is about more than barbecues and the unofficial start of summer; it is a time to pause, take stock and remember the sacrifice of those who went before us to ensure that we live with the freedoms that we so enjoy and oftentimes take for granted. In 2017, our family went to Arlington National Cemetery and took the time to honor the men and women who are interred there. My most vivid memory is of Will laying a yellow rose on the headstone of one of the many tombs of the unknown that are spread out across the grounds.
Living in Europe for the last year has made the sacrifices of these servicemen and women that much more tangible as European history and military history are oftentimes synonymous. Being able to walk the battlefields where many sacrificed their lives for our nation has been an unspeakable honor, yet still a humbling experience. This past Memorial Day, we traveled two hours northwest to Bastogne, Belgium.
For the aspiring military historian, Bastogne is full of history and meaning. It was pivotal during the German counter-offensive during the Ardennes Campaign in December 1944 and is known the world-over due to the actions of the Screaming Eagles of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and most recently made famous through Steven Ambrose's book Band of Brothers, and the HBO dramatization thereof.
Second only to the beachheads of Normandy, Bastogne was a personal must-see with us living on the continent. Our visit began with lunch at Le Nuts, a cute French bistro located in the main square. The bistro's name recalls the one-word response that Brigadier General McAuliffe sent to the German commander upon his demand to surrender. The food was excellent and the interior was adorned with photos past and present of members of the 101st including Easy Company. Their locally brewed Airborne beer was decent and was served with a mug in the shape of an infantryman's helmet.
Our next stop was the Eglise Saint-Pierre and could be reached by a short ten minute walk down main street from Lt Nuts. Walking around Bastogne was quite the experience. While most of the town was destroyed by artillery during the weeks-long battle, the citizens vowed to rebuild their city and dedicate it to the American soldiers who defended and in many cases gave their lives. As a result, Bastogne flew as many American flags as there were Belgian. Saint-Pierre was an extremely modest place of worship when compared to the more ornate brethren located throughout Europe.
Content with our explorations of the city proper, we traveled just outside the main city to the Bastogne War Museum and the Mardasson Memorial. The museum was incredible and covered the entirety of the Second World War from the initial seeds laid following the Great War. The museum moved throughout the two preceding decades with displays and exhibits seamlessly integrating audio and movies, and culminated with the full rescue of Bastogne by the U.S. Army in January 1945.
Located adjacent to the museum is a Mardasson Memorial which is a nearly three-story granite edifice in the shape of a star and identifies every U.S. Army or Army Air Corps unit that participated in the Ardennes Campaign. Words cannot describe the impact, so theses photos will have to suffice. Before we could set off for home, there was one remaining stop that we had to make...
Living in Europe for the last year has made the sacrifices of these servicemen and women that much more tangible as European history and military history are oftentimes synonymous. Being able to walk the battlefields where many sacrificed their lives for our nation has been an unspeakable honor, yet still a humbling experience. This past Memorial Day, we traveled two hours northwest to Bastogne, Belgium.
For the aspiring military historian, Bastogne is full of history and meaning. It was pivotal during the German counter-offensive during the Ardennes Campaign in December 1944 and is known the world-over due to the actions of the Screaming Eagles of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and most recently made famous through Steven Ambrose's book Band of Brothers, and the HBO dramatization thereof.
Second only to the beachheads of Normandy, Bastogne was a personal must-see with us living on the continent. Our visit began with lunch at Le Nuts, a cute French bistro located in the main square. The bistro's name recalls the one-word response that Brigadier General McAuliffe sent to the German commander upon his demand to surrender. The food was excellent and the interior was adorned with photos past and present of members of the 101st including Easy Company. Their locally brewed Airborne beer was decent and was served with a mug in the shape of an infantryman's helmet.
Our next stop was the Eglise Saint-Pierre and could be reached by a short ten minute walk down main street from Lt Nuts. Walking around Bastogne was quite the experience. While most of the town was destroyed by artillery during the weeks-long battle, the citizens vowed to rebuild their city and dedicate it to the American soldiers who defended and in many cases gave their lives. As a result, Bastogne flew as many American flags as there were Belgian. Saint-Pierre was an extremely modest place of worship when compared to the more ornate brethren located throughout Europe.
Content with our explorations of the city proper, we traveled just outside the main city to the Bastogne War Museum and the Mardasson Memorial. The museum was incredible and covered the entirety of the Second World War from the initial seeds laid following the Great War. The museum moved throughout the two preceding decades with displays and exhibits seamlessly integrating audio and movies, and culminated with the full rescue of Bastogne by the U.S. Army in January 1945.
Located adjacent to the museum is a Mardasson Memorial which is a nearly three-story granite edifice in the shape of a star and identifies every U.S. Army or Army Air Corps unit that participated in the Ardennes Campaign. Words cannot describe the impact, so theses photos will have to suffice. Before we could set off for home, there was one remaining stop that we had to make...
* * *
We were standing in their footsteps, in the middle of the forests northeast of Bastogne (GPS Coordinates 50.033510 N, 5.752694 E), and the #Smolyboys were laughing and running between the foxholes dug by Easy Company nearly 74 years prior. Somehow, just as it was when we visited the St. Mihiel American Cemetery last Veteran's Day, the boys' laughter is the most fitting tribute and memorial to these men: the opportunity to run, to be kids, to enjoy their freedom that was paid for though untold sacrifice. 
