Proud To Be An American

Last week when Jay's parents were here we had the chance to visit two special places on our whirlwind loop through neighboring countries. The first was the American Military Cemetery & Memorial in Luxembourg.


This cemetery is the final resting place of 5,076 American soldiers, most of whom died during the Battle of the Bulge. Among those interred here is General George S. Patton. The Cemetery was an amazing sight to behold. The grounds are beautifully tended, and it was very humbling to look upon row of row of tombstones knowing the sacrifice that not just those soldiers had made, but the families of those soldiers as well. Inside the Memorial is a small chapel and the bells chime every quarter hour. The music filling the serene landscape was very moving.

The other location we visited was Bastogne, Belgium where the Battle of the Bulge occurred. The Mardasson Memorial was  placed there by the Belgium government to honor the American soldiers who fought to liberate Belgium. Inside the stunning star-shaped memorial, the story of the battle is carved into the walls. 


One quote in particular really captured the honor and dedication of the men who served. If you can't make out the entire inscription from this picture it says, "The uniformed ranks of the United States fought for this soil...as if it had been their homeland."

               
Right down the road from the Memorial is a place called La Bois de la Paix or Woods of Peace. Four thousand trees were planted on the 50th anniversary of the battle. The trees commemorate the units of the American military that served there. Some of the trees are dedicated to specific veterans who were able to make the trip in 1994 to the memorial.

We visited all of these places on the same day, and it was probably my favorite part of our tour. It was such a nice reminder of the great country I had the privilege of being born in. A great reminder of the thousands upon thousands who have made (and are still making) sacrifices, not just for the freedom of our own country but for others as well. It was a stark reminder that no matter how crazy our government and politics can be at times {and we were visiting on the eve of the budget deadline...craziness of politics at its finest}, I'm so proud to be an American.


Tot ziens!