After almost four full weeks of gray skies, cold breezes, and rain, the sun finally emerged today and it was beautiful! It didn't feel like full blown summer by any means, but it was warm enough to need air conditioning in the car! We're so happy! :-)
Today was mostly a LONG day of driving to Reims, but we did make one stop at the Lorraine American Cemetery at Saint-Avold. I know some of you probably think we're crazy for all the times we've stopped at cemeteries on this trip, but there's just something about them - especially the military cemeteries. I've always been drawn to cemeteries, which sounds morbid I know, but there's something about wandering through the markers and imagining the lives of all those who came before. Maybe it comes from growing up down the street from the Wenatchee Cemetery. I remember riding my bike there often after school or on the weekends, and I think I even learned to drive a car in that cemetery. In fact, we still walk there occasionally when the wind is too strong down at the river. Whatever the reason I'm there, I always look at the stones and wonder about the people buried throughout the cemetery. Every time Tammy and I have traveled to historic cities like Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC, or any of the Civil War battlefields, etc., we've always wandered through the old cemeteries looking at the inscriptions. What did this person do for a living in 1809? How did this family survive the deaths of both young parents in 1917? Or what did that soldier experience in Virginia before he joined the military to fight in WWII? I just love the questions and sentiments that cemeteries evoke.
The Lorraine American Cemetery at Saint-Avold is absolutely beautiful! It is the largest American WWII cemetery in Europe; it's even larger than the one above Omaha Beach! The U.S. 80th Infantry division liberated the surrounding area on Nov. 27, 1944. A temporary military cemetery was here from that point on, and after WWII the French government granted the U.S. free use of the land to create a permanent one. (This is a picture from online because my little camera just couldn't capture the scope of the cemetery very well.)
This cemetery covers 113 acres, and it has 10, 487 headstones, 30 sets of brothers, and 444 missing in action. Can you just imagine the sorrow the families of those 30 sets of brothers must feel? How terrible!
If you go to the following website, you can watch a little video clip that shows you the different parts of the cemetery you'll see in my pictures. It's narrated well and the music is beautiful. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/lo.php
Like all the American cemeteries we've visited, this one has a large memorial with a chapel inside. The sculpture on the wall above the entrance is of St. Avold himself, and he's looking down and blessing those who rest here.
He also looks down on the two walls that extend on either side of the memorial; they are engraved with the names of the 444 MIAs.
Inside the chapel, there are sculptures of five figures on the wall above the altar; they personify the eternal struggle for freedom..
This cemetery is laid out a bit differently than the others we've seen. Instead of having four to eight square or rectangular plots on either side of a main walkway, this one has nine sort of circular plots laid out around the center axis with gently curving paths winding throughout the park. (This is an aerial shot off the internet so you could see the layout and size of the whole thing.)
At the far end of the cemetery is the overlook at the top of a gentle knoll. There is another small monument with a sculpture of an American eagle looking out over the graves. The whole space is so beautiful, and the view from here is just breathtaking!
This cemetery also holds four Medal of Honor winners; this is the highest decoration that the U.S. military gives to its members. Here are pictures and information about two of the four whose graves we were able to find. Their stories are absolutely amazing! What courage and selflessness they had! (This first bit of information is copied directly from the Medal of Honor citation at the United States Army Center of Military History website.)
Staff Sergeant Andrew Miller: "For performing a series of heroic deeds from 16 to 29 November 1944, during his company's relentless drive from Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany. As he led a rifle squad on 16 November at Woippy, a crossfire from enemy machine guns pinned down his unit. Ordering his men to remain under cover, he went forward alone, entered a building housing 1 of the guns and forced 5 Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second gun single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing 2, wounding 3 more, and taking 2 additional prisoners. At the outskirts of Metz the next day, when his platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a German machine gun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight."
"On 19 November S/Sgt. Miller led an attack on large enemy barracks. Covered by his squad, he crawled to a barracks window, climbed in and captured 6 riflemen occupying the room. His men, and then the entire company, followed through the window, scoured the building, and took 75 prisoners. S/Sgt. Miller volunteered, with 3 comrades, to capture Gestapo officers who were preventing the surrender of German troops in another building. He ran a gauntlet of machine gun fire and was lifted through a window. Inside, he found himself covered by a machine pistol, but he persuaded the 4 Gestapo agents confronting him to surrender. Early the next morning, when strong hostile forces punished his company with heavy fire, S/Sgt. Miller assumed the task of destroying a well-placed machine gun. He was knocked down by a rifle grenade as he climbed an open stairway in a house, but pressed on with a bazooka to find an advantageous spot from which to launch his rocket. He discovered that he could fire only from the roof, a position where he would draw tremendous enemy fire. Facing the risk, he moved into the open, coolly took aim and scored a direct hit on the hostile emplacement, wreaking such havoc that the enemy troops became completely demoralized and began surrendering by the score. The following day, in Metz, he captured 12 more prisoners and silenced an enemy machine gun after volunteering for a hazardous mission in advance of his company's position. On 29 November, as Company G climbed a hill overlooking Kerprich Hemmersdorf, enemy fire pinned the unit to the ground. S/Sgt. Miller, on his own initiative, pressed ahead with his squad past the company's leading element to meet the surprise resistance. His men stood up and advanced deliberately, firing as they went. Inspired by S/Sgt. Miller's leadership, the platoon followed, and then another platoon arose and grimly closed with the Germans. The enemy action was smothered, but at the cost of S/Sgt. Miller's life. His tenacious devotion to the attack, his gallant choice to expose himself to enemy action rather than endanger his men, his limitless bravery, assured the success of Company G."
Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers: I was able to take a picture of his citation in the visitor's center. (Sorry about the glare.) See the full text in the picture below.
"Rivers' final acts demonstrated a profound loyalty to his fellow soldiers and dedication to the war effort, and earned him the military's highest award, the Medal of Honor. However, although Captain Williams recommended Rivers for the award on November 20, 1944, it would not come until more than fifty years later. Rivers' story is indicative of the lack of recognition afforded to African-American soldiers who served during World War II. Of the 433 Medals of Honor awarded to World War II servicemen, none went to an African-American, although over a million served in the armed forces. On January 13, 1997 some of these omissions were rectified when President Bill Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to the families of six African-American servicemen and one living veteran. Grace Woodfork, one of Rivers' sisters, received her brother's medal in his stead. Also on hand was Captain Williams who had continued to fight for recognition of Rivers' heroism after the war. Williams underscored the past racism of the armed forces when asked why the medal had not been awarded sooner; “It is obvious. He was a Negro." (Tulsa World article) Isn't this just an amazing story! It's terrible that the prevalent racism of the 40s prevented him from receiving this honor when other WWII servicemen did, but it's such a heartwarming thing to see that his family finally received what he so honorable deserved.
Even though our country has many black spots in its history where we made terrible decisions and let fear and racism rule the day, visiting these cemeteries always reminds me of the positive things our country stands for: honor, freedom, democracy. These fallen soldiers paid the highest price so that we can enjoy all of these things. Let's not take them for granted.
Posted with Blogsy