Armistace Day in Waregem, Flanders Field
It’s small, but no less poignant. The American cemetery for
WWI at Flanders Fields in Waregem, Belgium is the final resting place for just
over 300 soldiers, far fewer than those in France, but behind every headstone
an entire family that had been devastated. And here, in a small corner of
Flanders that saw so much senseless bloodshed, it is a sobering reminder of how
many have been sacrificed.
On a chilly November morning we gather for the Armistice Day ceremony. American ex-pats, some former military, and local Boy Scout troops gather as they do each year to show their respect to the fallen. During the 2014-2018 centenary of the Great War, Flanders Field will be the best place to take in stories, reflect on a generation lost, and ponder the pursuit of peace.
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