Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

Our visit to the American Cemetery and Memorial this past Saturday, May 8th was one we will never forget. Given the location (just outside the city limits of Luxembourg), we were debating to pay a visit now or wait for our next trip down. Looking back, I can't believe the decision to be made was either visiting the cemetery or doing our weekly grocery shopping. In the end, we decided to go through with the visit even though it was getting late. The plan was to simply find the location and scope it out for our next visit (how much for a tour, hours to visit, etc.). We pull up to the gate and were immediately greeted by a very nice gentleman that informed us that the cemetery normally closes at 5pm (it was 5:30pm at this point) but they were staying open for a special event. He explained that in celebration of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), a group of WWII veterans were coming for a special ceremony and if we limited our stay to their ceremony, we were welcome to come inside. Without hesitation we took him up on his offer.

While waiting for the veterans to arrive, we toured the impressive monuments and Operation Maps that outlined the movement of the troops for the Battle of the Bulge. This cemetery covers over 50 acres and is located in a beautiful wooded area. It was established in December 1944 by the U.S. Third Army while the Allied Forces were battling in the nearby Ardennes region (as part of the Battle of the Bulge).





Looking out at the field of gravestones. There are no words that can accurately describe the feeling you experience standing there looking at the 5,076 headstones.

One of the many unknown soldiers buried here


The cemetery is perhaps most famous for the grave of General George S. Patton

Once the veterans arrived, we joined them on the promenade to pay tribute to those buried at the cemetery. There were about a dozen veterans, a General, and a very nice woman that said some very nice things to the crowd. We learned after the fact that this nice woman was the granddaughter of U.S. General George S. Patton. Part of the ceremony included the veterans, General, and General Patton's granddaughter walking up the steps to the Memorial Chapel and laying a wreath inside the Alter room. As they arrived and stood at attention, the song 'Taps' was played. It was an incredibly special moment that neither of us will ever forget.

With the ceremony officially concluded, the veterans walked out to the cemetery and placed US flags at the base of headstones for the friends buried there.

The Operations Map that outlines the movement of the different Divisions during the battle.

While looking at the Operations Map, we were fortunate to have two of the veterans come over and point out their specific Divisions on the map.

Noticing our obvious eavesdropping, they included us in their story-telling. One of the veterans shared his story of how he arrived to the war. It was a few weeks after the Normandy invasion and in order to get to the main staging area, you had to climb a steep hill. At the top of the hill was the cemetery where the fallen soldiers from D-Day were buried. At the ripe age of 19, coming off a boat and seeing the mass graves, this was his first view of the war.

It was time to officially end the ceremony and the representative from the cemetery asked one of the veterans if they could help him retire the US flag. This was another special sight that neither of us will ever forget.

Leaving the cemetery, we were both awestruck of the experience. It is a unique opportunity to find yourself in a famous cemetery on VE Day with a group of veterans that fought and served with those buried there. The decision to visit the cemetery was another reminder to us that our time in Europe will be best served by taking chances and not hesitating to put off things like shopping for groceries.