Most of you know that I was drawn to Luxembourg in an attempt to find some answers regarding the MIA status of Marty's uncle, Pvt. Frederick W. Goempel, who, at the age of 19, joined the American forces in the ETO, but never returned.
I began with virtually nothing, but managed to piece a great deal of information together. It took a lot of persistence on my part, and countless hours of reading, requesting, and waiting. Years of work, sometimes put aside for a little while, but never put away, as something bugged me to pull it out again and look for new information.
Somewhere along the way, I was introduced to Ernest Kirpach, who willingly joined me in my search for information.
Ernest led me to Mike Boehler, who eagerly answered my e-mail in Aug. 2009. There were days where I did nothing but scan and send info to Mike, who reviewed each piece in search of clues.
Marty and I met with the DPMO on several occasions, and thanks to aerial photos supplied by these men, and a simple hand-drawn map from a man who was there in Feb. 1945, JPAC finally took all of my research seriously, and sent a crew over in Sept. 2011 to this site.
Of course, I could not be there, but Mike and Ernest were, and thanks to the wonders of technology, I received first hand information within hours. Despite the careful efforts of JPAC, no evidence was found to identify a spot where Fred may be buried.
But, there was a new development that Mike identified when he was on the field with JPAC. It became quite obvious that there was an indentation in the ground that ran in zig-zag format from the bunker in the woods to another bunker further inland and somewhat up the hill.
Earlier this month, we headed all headed out to the site.
It may be difficult for you to see, but there is definitely an indentation in the ground that runs from the tree in the center, towards the bunker which would be on the right of this photo.
There's no missing it now that we know that it is there. Mike has accumulated enough information to substantiate that Company F, 11th Regt. 5th Infantry Division was in this spot on Feb. 9, 1945.
When I first began my search, I could never have dreamed that it would come so far. One could say that we have proven nothing regarding Fred's final resting place. And that would certainly be a valid argument.
But those of you who have taken the time to read the story and review my work, know that we have a reason to believe that Fred lies here in these woods, more than likely within yards of this old tree. We cannot prove it....but when you stand there in the woods....somehow... you can just feel it.
I am blessed to have had the opportunity to walk the ground where Fred once stood. And although this search for information began as one frustrating obstacle after another, I can say with all honesty that this has been one of the most rewarding efforts of my life.
I have met two of the most awesome men who have made my dream a deliberate goal in their lives. They receive no payment....only the satisfaction in knowing that they have offered some consolation to a family an ocean away who have wondered all of these years about the fate of their loved one.
I cannot thank these men enough.
I found this quote from a book that makes a statement far better than I could ever write:
"...26,694 American soldiers found their last earthly resting place in the cemeteries of Margraten (the Netherlands) , Henri-Chapelle (Belgium) , Neuville-en-Condroz (Belgium) and Hamm (Luxembourg) . A further 3,006 fell in battle but have no grave , no cross , no Star of David . Their remains lie desolate in foreign soil , far away from their homeland . No human hand has been able to protect their secret grave from sorrowful loneliness . No flower has ever adorned their last resting place . No priest has ever walked around , blessing the graves . No one has ever spent time at the grave in quiet remembrance . There is no one who has stood there in silent conversation . They have passed away without leaving a trace of them behind .
The blood of all these people was shed to free our homelands . It is part of our duty to keep the memory alive of these Americans who died and this remembrance may never cease . It is the duty of the living to remember the dead . Whether we are from the Netherlands , Belgium or Luxembourg , we all have the Americans to thank for our national identity , our independence , our freedom and our well-being .
These sons of America , who fought for months or years here in Europe against an unrelenting enemy , have a right to our permanent appreciation and our eternal gratitude..."
Camile P. Kohn , Luxembourg .
(Excerpt from : Foreword War Graves . Book : " Im Schatten der Wälder . In the Shadow of the Forests . Dans l'Ombre des Forêts . In de Schaduw van de Bossen ." by Armand Blau 1996 , Imprimerie Saint-Paul S.A. , Luxembourg)
And, I, for one, am thankful for that eternal gratitude.
