We began our morning with an insightful recounting of the Sauer River Crossing by Emil Hanson, a resident eye-witness to the crossing. This man was more than willing to answer any questions that we had and he actually offered some extremely valuable information pertaining to the area where Marty's uncle would have last been seen. Marty videotaped most of the interview and we hope to present it to JPAC along with a lot of other information that we have accumulated. The stop here was well worth the trip, and we have been scolded on several occasions by the locals who insist that Americans don't understand that one needs more than 3 days to accomplish anything here. We just smile and agree and insist that we cannot extend our trip here, as lovely as this town is.
Ernest then drove us to the Luxembourg American Cemetery where the bodies of over 5,000 American soldiers from World War II are buried. I had e-mailed the curator a few weeks ago, wanting to be certain that the cemetery would be open, and the man was actually awaiting our arrival, and he gave Marty a huge packet of information regarding the cemetery. It was such a kind gesture on his part, and one that Marty was truly appreciative of.
The weather had been gray and overcast, but as we walked through the cemetery gate, the sun suddenly popped out, illuminating the crosses that seemed to stretch out forever. The chapel was beautiful and the saying around the chapel ceiling truly overwhelmed me.
We were able to easily spot the inscription of Marty's uncle's name on the tablets of the missing soldiers. There are two tablets, one standing on either side of the chapel. The experience of gazing upon so many graves, knowing that these were young men who died for our freedom, was beyond description. We were both so grateful to Ernest for taking us there.
Across the road from Luxembourg American Cemetery is Sandweiler, a German cemetery set up for the same purpose as the American Cemetery. But the set up is far different, and actually quite eerie. One must walk down a gravel lane which is located in a forest, and walk through a wall that has the look of a German Bunker. Once through, you see ahead of you, at a distance, a large cross on a monument. All of the grave markers are dark, rather than the brilliant white in the American cemetery. There are four German soldier names engraved per marker, rather than single names.
This cemetery contains the remains of over 12,000 German soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge time period. What I had such a difficult time comprehending was a flowered area, not much bigger than my garden at home, that contained the remains of over 4,000 soldiers, who are listed by name on panels surrounding the large cross. In addition, there are 810 men buried in that group of whom they could not identify. When you read the inscriptions, you realize all too soon that these were young men, 20-25 years of age, all lost in the prime of their life. It's difficult to comprehend such a huge loss of life, but one cannot ignore the enormity of this cemetery when one looks out among so many graves.
Be certain to check out the newest Flickr photos which have views of the cemetery as well our other exciting adventures today.
