395th Infantry - 70th Anniv.

Wow, long time since the last post! So now for something completely different. I and my world traveling friend Rob will be going to France, Belgium, and Germany in Marcy of 2015. The intent is to follow the route of my dad's WW 2 army outfit....as much as possible...from his entrance at Le Havre, France, to his final stop in Hammelburg, Germany. His unit, the 395th Infantry Regiment, was part of the 99th Infantry Division, or "99ers", as they called themselves in subsequent years and decades. You can almost read the itinerary on the accompanying image of the unit's movements; 11/3/1944-5/9/1945. That map was prepared by Lester Ellis, of Jasper, Alabama. My dad spoke of him when I was young, and I remember that he visited Lester a few times in the 60s. The idea for taking the trip originated with this map; it hung in our house for years during the 60s & 70s, making its way to the garage, then passed to me and my garage. Each time I pass it in the garage, I can't help but wonder what on earth it was like to be a part of the monumental efforts of serving in the military in WW 2; locating, drafting, training, equipping, and finally moving several million men around the planet. And then continuing to re-equip, feed, transport, and redirect them during the course of a history-changing conflict. So my goal is to visit every single European village my dad "visited"; the trip will begin March 12 and will end March 20. Along the way we will drive about 3,000 miles in 8 days, and retrace the steps of the 395th through 47 cities, towns, and villages.