A different type of history lesson

A couple weeks ago we celebrated May 8th - the date that WWII ended.  It's a national holiday in France although I have to admit it's not one of the dates I remember from history class.  The Alsace region was under German control a number of times in fairly recent history and many of the actual battles took place in neighboring towns.  I remember years ago my father-in-law taking me a farm the next town over that was used as an infirmary during the war. It's hard to believe that the areas I drive through each day were battlegrounds not too long ago.  

On May 8th, Audrey and I attended a memorial service at a national cemetery in the town of Sigolsheim, the site of some intense fighting during WWII.  Alongside, the French troops, a number of American infantries helped to liberate the town and eventually lead to the end of the war.  Because of this, an American memorial was created to honor these fallen soldiers.  The ceremony was incredibly touching and it was hard to not feel a bit emotional when the military band played the Star Spangled Banner in front of the American flag. I found myself standing in a spot where fellow Americans gave their lives and couldn't help but feel moved.  After the ceremony was over, I went back and forth on whether or not to tell Audrey about why we were there.  I finally decided that she has plenty of time to learn about war as she grows up - that will be a discussion for another day.  One person did come up to me afterwards to tell me how they noted that Audrey seemed incredibly observant at the ceremony and she couldn't help but notice how she looked intently at the field of crosses with a sort of understanding and respect.

Audrey and I were some of the last people to walk down the hill after the ceremony was over.  Audrey was taking her time making her way down and I was trying to nudge her a bit by telling her to stay closer to me.  An older French man also on his way down, overheard me speaking to her in English, asked if I was American. I responded yes. "Thank goodness you guys were here", he said to me in French, and then walked the other way wishing me a good day.  I cannot take credit for any of the sacrifices made although I watched him walk away with a much deeper understanding of a war that was taught to me from a textbook.  I have to imagine that my own children will learn about the war in a very different way.  I held Audrey's hand down the rest of the hill, letting her walk down as slowly as she wanted knowing that she was taking in one pretty important history lesson.