Bastogne

Josh and I went to Bastogne on Saturday, where the Battle of the Bulge took place. We visited the Mardasson Memorial, which was built to honor the American soliders who were wounded and killed in the Battle of the Bulge. It's a huge monument that has inscriptions on the walls which tell the story of the Battle of the Bulge, and it also lists all the branches of the Army that were involved. Inscribed around the top of the monument are all the states, which represent each state that the soliders who fought were from.









We also visited the historical center, which was very educational. It provided pictures, documents, clothing, weapons, and vehicles from that time. This statue is outside the historical center and pays tribute to all the American soliders who fought.





This is a memorial dedicated to the 101st Airborne Division. The woods to the right of the picture are where the acutal Battle of the Bulge took place.









Josh and I walked through the woods searching for the foxholes made by the soliders during the Battle of the Bulge. It was very erie walking through the woods. The woods provided so much cover that it was cold and dark. We didn't realize how dark and cold it was until we stepped out of the woods and started walking back to the Jeep. I had to put my sunglasses back on. After walking around a bit we found numerous foxholes. It was very humbling to see. The foxholes were not very deep, and seeing what they had to do for cover was crazy. Trees were knocked down all over the place and there was evidence of bullet holes in the trees.





Overall it was a very humbling experience at Bastogne. To see how those guys had to protect themselves, what they had to go through, and the lack of equipment they had was eye opening.