Today we visited the Luxembourg American Cemetery after spending the morning in Reims for a traditional French Catholic mass and lunch in the town. The cemetery was designed to honor those who sacrificed their lives in the US army during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. The cemetery originally started out as a temporary grave site for those who died during the battle and was later turned into an official US monument to honor those who died. After the war, families of the deceased were given the choice of having the remains of their loved ones repatriated, or to have them permanently interned at the cemetery in Luxembourg with a traditional US burial at the memorial cemetery. Many people chose to have the remains of their loved ones repatriated, but many also chose to have their loved ones remain in Luxembourg. 5,076 of those who died remain buried at the cemetery to this day.
When we arrived at the cemetery it had begun to rain, which helped set the mood for the visit and tour of the cemetery. We started out with a guided tour of the cemetery, which included a history of the Battle of the Bulge, and a time to walk through the cemetery and see the graves of those who gave their lives and to explore the memorial that was built. After our tour, we had the extremely special opportunity to assist in the lowering of the US flags at the cemetery. As the chapel played out the tune of Taps, the flags were lowered, and then some of us volunteered to help fold the flags in the proper manner.
The whole experience was very somber, different from a lot of other experiences that we have had on this trip so far. The things that we learned about the Battle of the Bulge was very interesting and new to many of us. As we visited the memorial, I reflected on the fact that the men who were buried here were the age of the guys on the trip, myself included. To think that one of the most pivotal wars in all of human history was won by young men our age was a very sobering thought. The immense bravery and courage required of those young men some 70 years ago is something that most cannot relate to these days. War is a foreign concept to most young people today, yet we are still thankful for the sacrifices that those before us made to allow us the freedoms that we enjoy today.