June 6

The day began with a short trip to the site of the Dornot-Corny battle. However, before we even arrived, we drove through Jouy-aux-Arches.This is a small village in the country-side of Lorraine that has sixteen surviving arches of a Roman aqueduct, the same Roman aqueduct that supplied running water to Metz, France over 1700 years ago. This was a small excursion that allowed us to all stretch our legs for a moment and enjoy the picturesque views before we headed to Dornot-Corny battle site.

When we arrived, we quickly headed down a small path. The path followed the Moselle river, and many people were running or walking their dogs that morning. After a few hundred yards, a sign introducted the Dornot-Corny historical walk. This walk commemorates the United States’s attempt to cross the Moselle river. The US divisions lost 945 men in sixty hours at Dornot-Corny. It is made up of signs that explain the events leading up to 8 September 1944 and their tactical significance. The signs feature first hand accounts from veterans of the battle. These attempt to give you an idea of the horrible conditions the men endured and how poorly the battle was planned. The last sign on the walk features Jack Kirby’s account of the battle. Jack Kirby is the creator of Captain America and several other Marvel and DC characters. He landed at Normandy on D-Day, 73 years before we visited this site, and was present at this battle. He explains how he clung to a poorly constructed boat to cross the river as German’s fired on the troops from the other bank. This site was a powerful reminder of not just the successes of World War II, but also the failures that claimed so many lives.

Since it was D-Day, the entire day was centered around commemorating those who lost their lives in World War II and the veterans who fought against fascist regimes. After Dornot, we headed to the Lorraine American Cemetery at Saint Avold, which is the largest American World War II cemetery in Europe. The cemetery is the final resting place of 10,489 American soldiers who died during the fall of 1944 during the allied campaign against the Germans in Northern France, and the site of the memorial to those who lost their lives in WWII.

Our guide, who met us outside of the memorial, quickly identified three graves that stood out to her. The first grave we visitied was the grave of Rueben Rivers, a medal of honor

recipient who died on November 19, 1944. He died after he was wounded and refused to be evacuated so that he could stay and fight. His sacrifice saved hundreds of American soldier’s lives, however, he was not rewarded for this bravery until the 1990s. He was an African American soldier, which was the reason for the delay. At the Lorraine American Cemetery, soldiers are not segregated, despite the segregation of the US Army at that time. The guide reminded us that, at that time, no matter how these soldiers defined themselves-white or black, young or old, Christian or Jewish-they were all equal in death.

The next grave was a grave of an unknown soldier, where the guide explained that not onlydid these men sacrifice their lives, they also sacrificed their identities. At Saint Avold, 151 unknown soldiers are buried, and the memorial wall has the names of 444 missing soldiers. After our visit to the three graves, we all had a chance to walk along the memorial wall and see the names of those whose bodies couldn’t be identified, even after all this time.

The last grave was a soldier who died on December 11, 1944. What was special about him was that the cemetery had his last letter that he wrote to his father. This letter explains how all the soldiers miss home, and what they miss about it. It was incredibly moving as he expresses his desire to live for the simple things in live. He expresses his desire to grow up and grow old, to see his children and grandchildren, and to hug his mother. He explains these are desires all the soldiers have, and how he just wants to live. The letter was written on November 20, 1944. His father didn’t receive it before he received news that his son was dead.

After this, we had free time which I used to visit the memorial. The memorial has a martyred Roman soldier carved over the entrance, and when you enter, there are giant statues of military heroes all looking up at a central figure surrounded by stars. On one wall, a description of the military campaigns is carved into the wall, and on the other, there is a map of the Allied advances following the landing at Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Left to Right: King David, Emperor Constantine, King Arthur, George Washington. 

These two visits were incredibly moving and reminded us all of the sacrifices that were made for freedom. Being at these places on D-Day though, helped us to remember how costly that sacrifices was. While it was sad, these visits helped us grasp the significance of WWII and the campaigns around the Moselle.

This morning began bright and early as the bus pulled up in front of our residence. We were soon on our way to Verdun, which to be honest I had never heard of until I was given the background reading in our itinerary. Verdun was an essential town in World War 1, as it was well fortified near the German-French border and guarded a direct path to Paris. The Germans thought that they could easily take Verdun from France and continue on to take Paris; however, the French and the Americans were waiting for them and able to prevent the Germans from taking the city.

Learning of this took place in two forms today. The first was a memorial for the American and French soldiers that lost their lives in battle at Verdun. This memorial consists of a building (as pictured below) containing a bell tower, a chapel, and two wings of memorabilia and dedications. There was also the grave sites of all of the soldiers that could be identified (also pictured below). As for the remains that could not be identified, there are windows into the basement where they keep a pile of bones; it is truly a sight no one could ever be prepared to see.

The second place we went to in Verdun was the Verdun Memorial Museum. This museum not only covered the battle in Verdun, but also all aspects of World War 1. It was my favorite museum thus far, as it used many different mediums such as, audio sets, staggered screens, and see through floors to truly engage the visitors in what they are learning. My favorite area was below the stairs to the second level, where they had a room dedicated to the trinkets and letters that the soldiers carried with them during the war. Not only did it give humanity to an event that is typically talked about very dryly in textbooks, but it went even further to convey how the soldiers felt while facing something very few have.Once we returned to Metz, Dr. Birchfield decided to end the day on a happier note and took us to an amazing Middle Eastern restaurant that had recently opened. The food was delicious and included, grape leaves, falafel, and chicken skewers. After we finished eating, we were all invited to have peppermint tea and treats in the tented area, which shone with many bright colors (pictured below). We discussed what we had seen that day and the schedule for the rest of the week. Finally when everyone got their fill of Turkish delight and baklava, we called it a night.

Fort Hackenberg

With sleepy eyes and bellies full of chocolate croissants, our entourage boarded the trusty coach bus at 7:45am to venture to Fort Hackenberg. Never wasting a moment, en route to the fort, we had an open discussion about the movie “I Am Not Your Negro”. The film took the format of a contemporary documentary tied into a narrative. Our discussion touched on many things, notably calling attention to perspectives that often go unrealized by privileged eyes: institutionalized idealism and misrepresentation, the concept of human error, and the divergences and convergences of MLK and Malcolm X’s messages. Concise, yet thorough, the discussion ended leaving everyone with their thoughts until we arrived at Fort Hackenberg. 

After a quick photo-op outside, we braced ourselves for the cold as we delved into the inside of the damp, cold fort, where we were met by a pleasant tour guide who immediately began to enshrine us with knowledge of the fort’s long history dating back to 1929. At 10km in length, Fort Hackenberg stands as one of the most extensive forts along the Maginot Line and has always been considered a pivotal military strategic point…No wonder it was so sought after by the Germans! The fort goes so deep into the earth and covers so much ground that it even has an electric train that runs along through parts of the fort; historically, this was a means to deliver supplies, including ammunition, food, and soldiers. The fort was particularly known for its abundant weaponry stash made up of sizable tanks, huge engines, a few large ammunition chambers, and a couple of turrets. Moreover, the military architects designed the fort in a U-shape because this configuration would lessen the blast of an explosion should one ever occur. Despite the ample armory, the French lost the fort to the Germans in 1940. However, the American military reclaimed the fort under allied control in 1944.

Hackenberg was built to manage quite a large number of people. In fact, up to 1,000 people could stay in the fort’s 25 blocks! With a population that size, about 400 liters of beer a day were consumed inside the walls of Fort Hackenberg. Conversely, all those people necessitated large amounts of energy and power. About 10.3 thousand volts of electricity were needed to run the place, which meant that four different submarine engines working on diesel had to be utilized. All those people and all that machinery also meant that the air had to be filtered throughout the fort, so engineers designed and executed such a filtration device to keep the air relatively fresh. The tour was concluded with a look at the fort’s exterior, a showing of the turret in action, and a WWII exhibit. A few more group photos and then we were on our way to our next destination!

Camp Struthof    

The next stop on the group’s tour was much more somber.

The post-lunch lethargy was met with the silence that comes along with the journey to a former concentration camp; the bus climbed into the mountains and turned through valleys and small towns, up into the hidden alcove where Struthof resides. One can’t help but think of the thousands of people who made the very same, but oh so different, journey not even a hundred years ago. We arrived quietly, many of us breaking into small groups of two or three as we made our way first to watch a short historical film and then to the museum. The museum was mostly about the context of World War II and background information that set the stage for what we were about to experience outside.

                              Nestled in the Alsace region of France, the site of Struthof has a harrowing beauty to it. Personally, I found myself awestruck that such a beautiful place could harness such a dark history. It’s unsettling, but it is also necessary and respectful to remember. To commemorate remembrance, the camp has multiple memorials- the biggest being a large, stone monument bearing a torch-like shape with the French and EU flags alongside it. However, before you can really even take in the memorial site, you must pass through the Struthof gate: an act that runs a chill down your spine and brings tears to your eyes. Beneath the memorial, you see guard towers lining the perimeter of the camp, barracks, “vegetable gardens”, and crematoriums. The barracks housed a mini-museum of their own, detailing how approximately 52,000 people were forced through this camp, where upwards of 20,000 people were killed in the three years of its functioning (1941-1944). In solitude, I walked down the steep incline, flanked by barbed wire, guard towers, and a noose. I approached the crematorium and the cells with sadness and awe, having trouble believing where I was. It’s shocking to stand in such an infamous place that you’ve heard about all your life. Textbooks and documentaries can’t prepare you for the sensations that you feel as you stand in the fields of a former concentration camp.

After a long weekend of travel, the lecture today offered an opportunity to explore the future of the continent many of us have been excited to experience. The lecture for class today focused on Jean-Claude Junker’s “White Paper on the Future of Europe.” His paper outlines the five potential scenarios for the future of the European Union.

The first scenario would be more or less a continuation of the current model, so the priorities would remain the same: strengthen the single market and pursue a common defense policy, etc. However, this option is seen as inefficient and impractical.

The second scenario would essentially revolve around the single market and nothing more. This would allow the member nations to put more of their energy and focus into strengthening the single market and less on policy areas where they are unable to find common ground. However, this option seems to reverse all the progress the European Union has made.

The third scenario is what has been coined “multi-speed Europe” as countries that would like to pursue further integration in regards to key policy areas are able to do so and those that would not are welcome to not participate. This scenario is more favored by many elites such as Junker himself.

The fourth scenario involves increased focus and dedication of resources to a few specific policy areas. This would decrease inefficiency and citizens’ distrust of the European Union. It might be hard to choose specific policy areas to target, but once this has been achieved, the EU can focus on these areas and create a more comprehensive policy agenda.

The fifth scenario would involve a European Union that would like to do more across all policy areas. The focus would be “deepening” the European Union and increasing cooperation so that the European Union would overall have one common voice. However, there are fears that this would increase the European Union’s power and decrease the power of national governments.

As a class, we were divided into five groups, each of which was assigned one of the five scenarios, and we were to present the essential argument of each possible scenario for the future of the European Union. It was interesting to explore one particular argument so closely. My group was assigned the third scenario, which I believe is the most likely future for the EU and currently serves as a major subject of debate. This is because, as Dr. Birchfield discussed during our class, many countries are already naturally inclined to group themselves according to issues that are most important to them due to geography, religion, culture, etc.

Scenario three and four seemed to be the most favored because they would decrease the perceived inefficiencies of the European Union, which seems to be one of the major issues today. Another major subject of debate is national sovereignty, which scenario three does address by allowing the individual member states to choose which policy areas they would like to take part in or not.

This was the overall topic of lecture for this day as we prepared for a week full of excursions to Fort Hackenburg, the Struthoff Concentration Camp, as well as the memorial site for the Battle of Verdun. These immersive activities will give us a better understanding of the sad history that ultimately led to the creation of this global peace project: the European Union.