Kaley

March 7, 2007

Our time spent in France has been quite amazing.  I am overwhelmed by the amount of history that surrounds me here.  During our last week in Alsace, we spent a day visiting Struthof concentration camp and the Maginot line, allowing us the opportunity to encounter first hand sites from WWII in France, a war that forever changed France and the French people.  Our day commenced at Struthof, a concentration camp in the Vosges Mountains for French resistance fighters.  The wind and rain were furious, and although the weather was not ideal for us for an outdoor visit, it was certainly fitting for the atmosphere of the camp in which many French patriots offered the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  We spent the afternoon visiting the Maginot line with a very enthusiastic tour guide, who made our time in the dark, cold, historic bunker interesting and informative.  We followed the staircase 30 meters underground and followed long concrete hallways to discover the living quarters of the soldiers, the headquarters of the commanding officers, the kitchen, gun turrets, and much more.  We learned that the Maginot line was more effective than people generally think, and I personally was amazed at the existence of this once very viable military camp deep underground, along with its bunkers and gun turrets still visible dotting the French countryside in Alsace.  Earlier during the month, I had the privilege of visiting the American military cemetery in Lorraine where my great-uncle is buried.  He was an Army Air-Corps pilot killed during the war.  My host mom took me to the cemetery, which was not very far from Saverne.  It was a surreal experience to be so far away from home, yet staring at the name of a family member on a granite cross, a young man who was not very much older than I when he died.  My host mom told me fascinating and heartbreaking stories of her family’s experiences during the war.  She had a relative who was sent to Strutof concentration camp. I felt that the war, even though more than sixty years past, had connected our two families, and although we are separated by language and cultural differences, we have a common bond in the interest of our families’ histories.