BattleBulge Kiniry 2019

It was a 3 hour trip today from our Munich hotel to the German Alps to see Hitler's famous hideaway and retreat.  In the early 1940's Hitler's Nazi party built several retreats for their German leaders, including Hitler, Goebbels and Himmler.  Those homes were destroyed by Allied bombing in the '44 and 45', but the bombs did not seriously damage the nearby Eagles Nest, the mountain top retreat where Hitler would occasionally meet with important leaders.  Being afraid of heights, he rarely visited the location and spent no more than 15 minutes there when he did visit. Today, the site is a simple restaurant with magnificently beautiful views of the Alps and the valleys below.  The weather today was beautiful and many tourists took the time to make the steep, 20 minute bus trip to the top, including Tim and our veterans.  And, they were rock stars!  People young and old asked for photo opportunities and selfies. We moved on to a brief visit to the bunkers where Hit

A solemn day.  A visit to the Concentration Camp Dachau showed competing emotions today.  Disgust coupled with pride in liberating this camp and other camps like it.  Dachau was a Concentration Camp that seems to be distinguished from an Extermination Camp.  Some 32,000 human beings died at Dachau, with most deaths coming in the last year or two of its operational existence.  While Dachau had crematories and gas chambers, it seemed to be more of a convenient way to reduce those who were burdened with illness or who had already died due to poor sanitary conditions.  Other camps served to provide more voluminous exterminations.  Tim Kiniry worked at Buchenwald for several weeks beginning in April 1945 treating critically ill patients, many with tuberculosis.  In fact, he was at Buchenwald when the announcement came that the war in Europe had ended.  Some 56,000 had died at Buchenwald. Following Dachau, it was an afternoon of sightseeing in Munich.  We saw Hitlers Office Building, the f

Above:  Tim meets with the US Ambassador to Luxembourg Mostly a travel day where we said goodbye to our 4-night stay in Bastogne and to Belgium.  I cannot say enough about the Belgium people and the honor they showed to our WWII veterans.  At every turn, a greeting, a hug, a smile, a look of wonder, of thanks.  Each veteran wore his WWII cap and a jacket that showed his unit and service medals so they were easy to spot.  This was a trip that could not have risen to a level of recognition without the advance arrangements of Forever Young Veterans; but would not have been as overwhelmingly special without the wonderful extemporaneous outpouring from the Belgiums.  We will miss their incredible hospitality. By 8 am we were on the bus.  First stop:  Luxembourg City and the Luxembourg American Memorial Cemetery.  This is where thousands of American soldiers are interred, including General George Patton.  A solemn and peaceful and beautiful setting.  But today, these 14 veterans were ho

A crazy day to be sure.  First to Sadzot to visit a memorial for a devastating mortar location.  A very rural location.  But while we were there a local farmer and his wife saw us and invited the entire bus to use their home to very rustic home for use of their bathroom.  Continues to be absolutely amazing - the reverence/honor that this country shows these veterans.  Blown away! Visited a crash site of a B24 (known as the Liberator) and a memorial to the five soldiers lost in that crash.  From a hillside nearby in Dinet,  Henri, our guide who was 9 at the time of the Bulge, was able to watch the Battle of the Bulge unfold in the fields and city below. Moved onto Ettelbruck, after lunch, in Luxembourg.  Visited the home where one of our veterans was holed up before shelled and capture by the enemy.  The vet has corresponded with this family for the last 75 years.  Brought a flood of tears. Took some photos that I will post later but will leave you with just one short video clip t