We began our trip on Friday with a visit to the American Cemetery at Cambridge. There are a bit more than 3000 American men and women buried at Cambridge. There's also a long wall with the names of the more than 5000 soldiers who went missing and were never found. One of the more classic examples (below) was Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Kennedy, the son that dad actually was grooming to run for president, did two tours flying combat missions (you could go home after one) and was then killed when the experimental plane he was flying blew up just before he was supposed to bail out.
The trip was a sobering experience for all of us. Our guide took us around the cemetery and told the story of 4-5 of the soldiers buried there--as representatives of the larger group. Here "Tink" is reading one of his quick explanations of the war objectives. He would then explain how the soldier at whose grave we were standing contributed to that objective.
Hearing their stories and thinking about how these men and women were mostly volunteers who simply believed their country needed them was a memorable experience. There were so many who gave their lives, convinced that freedom was worth defending even at great cost. We their descendants (and really the world) owe them more than we could repay. It's hard to see when it's small, but the American flag is the small dot near the center of the pic below. The sun came out just in time and washed it out. Click on the picture to see better.
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