2nd Lt. John Caskey’s grave stands adorned with flowers and photos. His last living relative placed the decorations alongside his final resting place. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
The gates of Luxembourg’s American Cemetery and Memorial swing open for the day’s first visitors. An American citizen is required to stand guard at its gate, and the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg have promised to maintain this memorial forever as thanks for Americans’ defense of their country. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
A memorial honoring the sacrifices of American soldiers on D-Day stands in France. The Normandy American Cemetery is actually a small patch of American soil, a gesture of thanks for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for French liberty. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
Pfc. Lynn Aas and Pfc. Austin Steen Jr. salute the chapel memorial in the Luxembourg American Cemetery as the national anthem plays. Both received the Luxembourg Medal of Honor following the ceremony. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
More than 5,000 American graves stand under the Luxembourg sunlight. From 1947-1960, 60 to 70 percent of Americans memorialized here were brought back to the United States for burial. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
Sunlight shines through the window panes of the Normandy Cemetery chapel. More than 9,000 American graves surround this small room in the middle of the cemetery. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
Lynn Aas lays a yellow rose next to Pfc. Richard Miller’s grave. Aas became separated from Miller in the forest during the Battle of the Bulge after not receiving orders to retreat. Aas decided to stay in his foxhole until dark, but his companion decided to retreat and was shot in the the head immediately. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
Waves crash against the rock walls at Utah Beach. Since the Germans were stretched so thin, they were heavily outnumbered at each of the five beaches. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
Les Braves sits in the sand at Omaha Beach where more than 6,600 Americans died fighting. The three stainless steel columns are named the Wings of Hope, Rise Freedom and Wings of Fraternity. (Jake Remes/TommieMedia)
War is certainly never a good thing, but sometimes it happens. I was shown over a week’s time how rewarding the experience can be for a nation.
I began my trip in Bastogne, Belgium, a place where Americans are held in the highest esteem. Even young children waved American flags in front of school courtyards as the veterans I was accompanying walked past. During World War II, my grandfather Sgt. Buck Thompson, 513th division of the 17th Airborne, defended this city from Hitler and the Nazi regime at 18 years of age. I ended my tour on the beaches of Normandy in northern France. Being 21, I was thrown by the thought of entering the bloody battles I learned about.
On a bus trip around southwestern Belgium, I met Americans from all corners of the country with all different backgrounds. We visited American cemeteries, memorials, museums and towns that pertained to the history of World War II. I think the experience brought together a wide array of Americans on that bus in a way that would not have been possible otherwise.
My family and I visited Normandy, the scene of the infamous D-Day, by ourselves instead of with a large group. It was eye-opening to learn that, due to the beach’s terrain and defenses, a single German machine gunner could take out over 1,000 Americans by themselves. It put in perspective what we as Americans gave up to earn freedom for our allies overseas.
The trip was memorable for many reasons, but what it did most for me was help show the silver lining of war. We as Americans can come together as one no matter our differences when we fight for liberty and justice for all.
Jake Remes can be reached at reme7110@stthomas.edu.