It’s Monday and I am in Amsterdam. We were in France a week ago celebrating the 14th of July Fete National with a flyover in the morning and fireworks in the late evening.
After the flyover, we rented a car and drove to the countryside.
When my wife visited my parents in France in ‘97, my father and Juliana rented a car and took us to country. We visited Normandy our first weekend and then they took us to the Champagne region just northeast of Paris. It’s was a short drive of about an hour and half, just past the recently opened EuroDisney. My dad took us to the Aisle-Marne American Cemetery near Chateau-Thierry.
Fifteen years ago we took dad back. Day 19: Father’s Day comes Early.
Juliana and dad were very much in love. It’s easy to see, looking back as I grieve. She took dad’s death hard and I am not sure she ever got over it. When we released dad’s cremains in 2010, she saved some and kept it close. We discovered it when we packed up their home and sold their house in Oxford, Mississippi a few years ago.
We saved it for the time we would disperse Juliana’s ashes. Last Saturday, we reunited Juliana and dad when we dispersed her cremains according to her wishes in the Mumbles in Wales and we reserved a small portion of Juliana’s cremains to take to where dad was in France.
So Monday morning my wife and I took off. It was a relaxing drive after we escaped the Parisian traffic and my wife remarked that we chose a good day as many people were off the streets because of the holiday.
We exited the highway where Maps told us to and switched to two lane roads through farms and small towns which were the battlefield in World War I. The battle line was very close to the French capital and the French army gave up a stiff fight to stop the advancing German army after the Germans invaded France to begin WWI. The battle lines remained for most of the war from September 1914 until the spring of 1918. The Americans joined the war the year before, but were not prepared to join the fight until 1918.
The first major battles for the American forces were in the region. In the late spring of ‘18 the Germans mounted an offensive which came close to breaking the lines had it not been for the marines and American forces fighting back. It is in this battle that the Germans nicknamed the marines “Devil Dogs” for their ferocity and steadfastness in holding the line and it stuck.
My dad served in the Marine Corps for three years – 1953-56. He was fortunate to never see combat and served the entire time stateside. I believe that is why he wished to have his cremains spread here.
My wife and I walked around and I showed her where I remembered where dad was and then I walked out into the woods and re-united the two. I dropped a pin with my iPhone and shared it with my brothers in hopes that one day one of us or all of us will get back here.
We got in the car and drove to the the cemetery, but our afternoon took a turn when my wife suggested we take a right at the church and we drove down a narrow lane to discover a small American Museum and the Devil Dogs Fountain. Click the link to learn more – Why United States Marines Drink from a Fountain in France.
It was a wonderful side trip.
On the train ride from Paris to Amsterdam I worked on the video below, I think it tells the story well. Please take a moment to watch. Thank you.
I signed the guest register and walked among the headstones. I took four photos of fallen Americans. There are 2,294 more, 250 of them still unknown.
It was peaceful in the country. I believe my dad and Juliana are at peace. I know I am.
My wife and I drove to Chateau-Thierry hoping to find a cafe or restaurant to find a bite to eat but were disappointed to find the town closed for business due to the holiday.
It was a wonderful day and it certainly counted. Today is going to be an amazing day, too. But I have to jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, remembering my parents and all they taught me.
What is one thing your parents taught you?
What an accomplished and respectful video. Did you really make it whilst in he midst of travelling? Respect!
Yes I did. I put it together on the train from Paris to Amsterdam last Saturday. I was even able to upload it to YouTube before we arrived at the Schipoll station… more on that later. War cemeteries are special places, in London we came across several memorials to the fallen from the ‘Great War.’ The poppies at the Tower of London were especially moving. Thank you for coming back and reading, have a wonderful weekend.
You’re a genius! It takes me weeks of heartache to make a 3 minute video!
Incredible, Clay! I love the video you put together and ending on those flags is so powerful! I’m so glad that you were able to reunite Juliana and your dad. Wishing you a safe trip home!
Thank you Wynne! I have been dreaming about going back to visit that cemetery and area site we were there in 2010. We spent a couple of hours exploring the area. The American cemeteries in Europe are special places and I will always remember visiting them. I can feel the two are at peace. Have a happy Friday!
That was a wonderful video. I loved the music too, what was it? I like the way you honor your parents. We spread our parent’s ashes in the lake they lived on, 5 months apart and I like to think they are together forever too. What thing did they teach me? To give what you can, as often as you can, maybe more than you can. And to be faithful to your partner through whatever life hands you.
Thank you. I want my ashes spread in front of the lake house in Michigan. I have been rehearsing the trip in my head for over a year and I can’t believe how much I have seen over the past dozen days. The blog is a chronicle of what we’ve done and I hope my kids will read it. Maybe not now, but later.
The music is from Band of Brothers an HBO miniseries that first aired in 2001. It’s the story of a of company of soldiers who parachute into France on D-Day. It’s one of my favorite mini-series and I have watched it multiple times. It follows them from their initial training until the end of the war. When it was produced, several of the soldiers were still alive. The mini-series included interviews with many of the soldiers from the company. Being that it’s been 81 years since they landed in France, it may be the only living record of their experience.
Thank you for stopping in and have a wonderful Monday. Peace