Monuments, Memorials, and Memories
If you were to come to visit me in Kandern, an easily visible landmark on a hill above town is what we call "the monument". It is a memorial to those who served and died in WWI and WWII. Back in September, I had the opportunity to work with a group of students to clean up the monument and the surrounding area. As we worked, I wondered about the various individuals who were memorialized, who they were, and what their lives may have been like. Memorials and monuments seem to be a recurring theme this semester. As a Junior class sponsor, I was privileged to spend a weekend in Normandy, France with the class. We left Germany on Thursday night, and arrived at Canadian cemetery near Juno Beach on the northern coast of France first thing in the morning. Each headstone is etched with the name of an individual and some information about them, as well as their age and a brief epitaph describing them as a person. "He Gave All", was inscribed on the headstone of a 32 year old