I biked to the the American military cemetary & memorial in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium today. It is only about 15 miles as the crow flies from Aachen. It is an extremely moving cemetary with the final resting place for 8000 brave Americans who gave their lives for us all in WWII. I myself was originally guilty of this, and I think a lot of us as Americans have a very detached relationship with our history, as it seems like something that happened so far away and so long ago. But living in Aachen I stumbled across this memorial one day while out biking and was very moved to learn that some very important moments of WWII happened on the ground I was standing on, and to see all those people who gave their lives for our cause right in front of me, well it was very moving and it really helps you relate to that history.
Phillip W Petronis was a 25 year old carpenter in New York when he enlisted in the US Army on October 24, 1941 at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York.
He was a Technician 3rd Grade in the 33rd Field Artillery Battalion (105-MM) of the 1st Infan...try Division "The Big Red One".
Phillips was awarded a Silver Star in 1943. He died on January 1, 1945.
The rest is a summary of the info presented at the memorial: After moving relatively quickly across France and Belgium after landing in Normandy, the allies were slowed significantly by the nearby Sigfrid line of the Germans once they approached Germany. After very slow advancement through the Sigfrid line in the12th Sept 1944 Allied troops moved into the German frontier near Aachen. By the 2nd of October the Allies had made significant advancements towards Aachen. By the 16th of October the city of Aachen was surrounded, on the 21st of October 1944 the city of Aachen surrendered, making it the first German city to surrender to the Allied powers. The allies then continued south towards the Roer river and through the Belgium Ardennes, a campain which continued until 25th of January 1945.
I really like this shot, I wanted to capture both the immensity of the cemetary, the setting, as well as try and give it a personal touch. I had to lay down on the ground by this marker and wait for those clouds to block the sun. This exposure was taken at a full stop underexposure so the sky was not underexposed, I bumped up the lighting for the foreground with photoshop RAW processing.
Your photo is a touching testament to the sacrafice these soldiers made. I believe they have found peace, but the grief and loss they left behind is the cross their families had to bear. Thank you for sharing a part of our history that's fading with the passage of time...these men should be, and now are, remembered.
Steve, I saw your post on my shot. my comment is a compliment. It is one of those times when you see the bulk of the shots are geared towards the obvious and not one of the obvious is picked, the peace sign. Each of the shots selected have a different take on the theme and the shots are very nicely composed, lit and the concepts of each are well executed. I love what you did with your image here as well.
Steve, you really did capture all you set out to here. I have also visited this cemetery and was surprised to find what an emotional visit it was for me also. In 2000, I was one of 4 chaperones to take twenty 16-18 years olds on what we called a "WW II trip" to visit 5 European countries that played a significant role in WWII (England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.) We visited several cemeteries and museums along the way. This is a great entry for the theme. I never saw it till today though so I could not vote...hope you win!
