Thursday, May 9, 2013

THURSDAY, 9 MAY 2013

A SACRED PLACE, LOTS OF CLOUDS, A BIG WALL



Clouds greeted us this morning but no rain. The Luxembourg American Cemetery was the main goal today. Over 5000 soldiers are buried there, victims of the Battle of the Bulge, along with General George S. Patton. Whenever we visit these military cemeteries I always feel as if I am walking on sacred ground. As I stand and read the names and realize they represent young men, I can only imagine the thousands of mother’s (father’s, wives, and children) who grieved over the death of their sons/fathers. I hate war.

Patton was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and
Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg alongside other
wartime casualties of the Third Army, per his request to
"be buried with my men."
The cross at the top is the grave of General George Patton.
It is as if he is overlooking his boys. 

The Star of David represents the Jewish soldiers, the crosses-the Christian soldiers.





The dolphins represent the resurrection

This wall lists the MIA's. I was surprised to see the name David Fortney (my maiden name)



The irony of it all--Patton survived the entire World War, only to die from injuries sustained in a car crash in Germany.


After spending an hour in the cemetery we walked back to the bus stop. One the way we stopped in a pastry shop and got a yummy fresh raspberry tart. We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon walking through the Grund and seeing all the different levels of the city wall. It is a beautiful area.

Neumünster Abbey



















































































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