Carter has had an amazing scouting experience in Germany!
His first scout campout happened a couple weekends after we arrived in July of 2011. We went to an old castle on the border of Germany and Luxemburg. The boys were able to explore the castle and pick their desired camping location. Carter and his new friends chose the tallest standing tower.
Since that time he has had MANY exciting campouts. He has slept at several castles (including Frankenstein’s castle), had scout camps in Southern Germany and Kanderstag Switzerland. At Kanderstag he purchased himself a Swiss Army knife and had his name engraved on it.
KANDERSTAG
Recently his scout troop has started visiting World War I and World War II monuments and battle fields. His scoutmaster teaches a War History class and is VERY knowledgeable. Each time they go to a new place he sits the boys around a table or campfire and tells them the history of the battles that occurred in the area we are in.
Bastogne, Belgium. January, 2013
Involved in the “Battle of the Bulge” from WWII.
The “Mardasson Memorial” was built in the shape of a star. The 48 states who were part of the US at the time of the war are along the top.
The central portion of the star is circular. Engraved upon the walls is the history of the Battle of the Bulge. Toward the end were these two portions that I felt had to be remembered.
This monument commemorates Easy Company’s involvement in the Battle of the Bulge. Easy Company, made famous by the HBO series “Band of Brothers,” spent a winter defending a line here.
For those who have seen the series these are the actual fox holes used by Easy Company both during WWII and during the filming of the series.
As we walked around and the boys jumped and played in the fox holes we tried to impress upon them what it would be like to spend a winter defending these fox holes and this line. I can’t imagine the sacrifices made by our soldiers.
Verdun and Haumont. March, 2013. WWI
We camped next to a cemetery where a village once stood. Haumont Village was evacuated and in 1920 was completely destroyed. All of the craters in the ground are from artillery shells. The only level ground we could find to pitch our tents were right around the only part of the town that was rebuilt, the cemetery and small chapel, as a memorial.
These silhouettes are placed around the village.
There are 3 reasons the Village was not rebuilt:
- The large quantity of explosives that still lie buried in the ground, making this a dangerous place (wartime ammunition is still being uncovered today).
- The pollution of springs by the decaying bodies of men and horses buried in the ground.
- The risks inherent to land which has been subjected to mustard gas attacks or to pollution.
Verdun Ossuary
I was shocked to learn about the devastating loss of life during WWI surrounding Verdun.
Trench warfare = HUGE casualties.
The Ossuary is a monument as a tomb of the unknown soldier. Prior to entering you encounter this sign.
Many of the bodies of the 130,000 unknown soldiers were collected and buried here. Then, the Ossuary was built over them as a monument.
Inside is a long hallway with 2 granite coffins over each alcove. Under each alcove is a large crypt containing thousands of bones. From the outside you can look through little windows and see the piles of bones of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country.
In front of the Ossuary are thousands of white crosses, similar to those at Normandy and other WWI and WWII cemeteries. These crosses each have a rose bush planted in front of them.
To give you an idea of some of the artillery used (WWI).
Fort De Douaumont housed between 800 – 3,300 soldiers during the war. It changed hands twice and was bombed heavily. The top of the fort is covered in small rolling hills, craters from artillery. The metal dome Carter is standing on below could be lowered to sit flush with the top of the fort. Artillery shells would glance off of the steel top.
Our last visit was a stop at a monument built over a trench. This trench caved in during the war trapping those seeking refuge in it. The bayonets of the soldiers who were trapped were found sticking out of the ground. Today, they have crosses under the monument next to the bayonets. Unfortunately over the years vandals have been claiming pieces of the bayonets so only small stubs remain. In an attempt to save what was left cement was poured around the bayonets.
