008 Lest We Forget

European Cemeteries

Air Date: 2023-12-16

Randy in Normandy

May we never forget the sacrifices of those who died for our freedom. Visiting cemeteries teaches us to appreciate our history and why we have the rights we possess.

The photo shows Randy at the grave of Robert Bloser, a paratrooper who died shortly after jumping into Normandy. Randy is wearing the HBO Band of Brothers jacket that belonged to Ed Tipper, Robert's best friend throughout training. Ed lived until 2017.

Another paratrooper was 18-year-old Patrick Neill, the youngest of the Band of Brothers to be killed (Foy, Belgium). Will and Sarah are seen at his grave in Luxembourg in the banner photos above. The next pic is Randy at the grave marker of Camille Gagne, a young 82nd Airborne paratrooper from Quebec, Canada, who earned a Silver Star for valor and left behind a teenaged wife and young son. He is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.

As a bonus, we also include some great civilians who died after contributing to English culture.

Randy's Rambling

Gérard Doré

"No man is so foolish as to desire war more than peace: for in peace sons bury their fathers, but in war fathers bury their sons. But I must believe that heaven willed all this so to be."
Herodotus, ~430 BC

Young men die in war, but some stand out even among their peers.

Ben's Banter

Ben meets Adolphe Garza

Ben tracked down his wife's great-uncle in France.

Recommended Resources

Patton's Panthers by Charles W. Sasser (2004)
'Til We Meet Again: A Memoir of Love and War by Ray & Betty Whipps (2015)
Dutch site: Fallen Not Forgotten

Featured Sponsor

Band of Tours offers tours of all kinds, but specializes in WW2 history. They especially focus on the airborne troops with an emphasis on the Band of Brothers (E Company, 506 Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne) of WW2.

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Banner Pics

1. Bayeux; 2. Bretteville-sur-Laize; 3. Bunhill Fields; 4. Hurtgenwald; 5. La Cambe; 6. Lorraine; 7. Luxembourg; 8. Margraten; 9. Neuville-St. Vaast; 10. Normandy

Mapping the Sites

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