Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge

Before we left for home, we wanted to be sure to visit the military museum and monument in Bastogne, Belgium, the site of the infamous WWII month-long Battle of the Bulge
between the American and German armies.


We loved this statue at the entrance to the monument!

The monument was amazing!  The names of all 50 states were listed across the top, and the names of different divisions across Europe were listed down the sides.  You can't tell from here, 

but the monument is in the shape of a star.

The museum was totally amazing!  It was one of those inter-active ones where you followed the lives and thoughts of both an American and German soldier, a young Belgian boy, and a female Belgian civilian.  There were lots of real-life exhibits and various videos.  It was really one of the best museums we have ever visited!

Exiting the museum, I couldn't believe my eyes!  Isn't this the WWII statue we saw in San Diego?  Yes, this very statue is "on tour" and was currently there in Bastogne!

From there we drove a few kilometers to the nearby German cemetery. 

We were surprised at how small it was.

As we headed out of Bastogne, I couldn't resist taking this picture depicting
the military influence still present today. 

And before we left Belgium, I just had to make a stop at one of the ever-present "Friteries," or French Fry shops that are so prevalent in Belgium.  It was everything we expected to be and more:  One amazingly delicious serving completely covered Elder G's plate!

From there we drove to the impressive American Cemetery in Luxembourg.

Memorial Chapel

This was one of two walls with maps of the battles on one side and the names of the 371 soldiers who died but whose bodies were never found.  It was interesting to learn that since the wall was erected, some remains have been found and soldiers identified; consequently,
 those names now have a star to the side.

There are over 5,076 graves in this 17-acre cemetery.

Jewish soldier

Unknown soldier

One special claim to fame of this cemetery is that General Patton's grave is here.

We were very, very grateful to have taken this weekend trip.  Although we had really wanted to visit Normandy, it was beyond the missionaries' boundary of travel.  Thus,
we were grateful to have taken in the next best thing!