Proud to be an American

Today has been a very different experience than most of this trip has been. We started out the day by going to the Florence Cemetery for American soldiers. It is a gift from Italy to the United States to honor the men and women who lost their lives fighting in World War II. In the immaculately kept lawns, there were rows and rows of crosses (and some headstones in the shape of the Star of David to commemorate the Jewish that lost their lives) with US and Italian flags on either side. It was a pretty humbling sight.

I was encouraged, and quite frankly a little shocked, to see a troop of Boy Scouts placing roses (like the one on the left) in front of some of the graves. I talked to one of the scout leaders and discovered that they are actually Americans living on a military base somewhere in Italy. The day before they came out and cleaned all the headstones. It was really encouraging to see scouts out and doing things for their country, even when they are living in a different one.

Robbie told us several stories about Italians who helped the American efforts during the war. He told us about how devastating it was the the Germans bombed all the bridges across the Arno River in Florence to prevent the Allies from crossing; all except for Ponte Vecchio, thankfully, because it was such an important cultural icon and historical monument. He also told us how at the villa we are currently staying in, a German tank got stuck between the wall and the fence, and the owners covered the tank with olive branches to prevent it from being seen and the villa being bombed and destroyed. The ping pong room (aka the dungeon) was also used as a bomb shelter during the war. It put things in perspective thinking about the very ground we are constantly walking is where tons of men, many that were as old as I am, lost their lives.

We attended the Memorial Day Ceremony, which was an incredible experience. There were lots of current and veteran military men and women, both American and Italian. The US Consul General in Florence gave a statement, along with several other people, a Jewish rabbi, and a pastor. It was really sobering to see everyone there together, two nations uniting and solemnly remembering the brave men and women that came before us. At the end of the ceremony when they played the National Anthem for each country as they raised the countries' flags from half mast. I can not remember the last time I had as many chill bumps coursing through my body, literally from my head to my toe. It was a really moving experience.

The ceremony and seeing all the graves really got me thinking about the true meaning of Memorial Day. Normally, while in the States, I just treat it as a day to sleep in and skip school. I don't think I have ever truly given an appropriate amount of thought to the sacrifice that some people made in order to secure our freedom and to attempt to make this world safe from tyranny and oppression. I feel like I need to make a stronger effort in the future to honor these true heroes instead of taking the day off for granted.

After the ceremony, we had a long "Taste of Italy" for lunch at the villa. We tasted lots of traditional and local specialty dishes, which was incredible. There was a lot of really good stuff there, even if it looked or smelled weird.

For dinner, however, we had a great American cookout with burgers, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, and coke. It was wonderful.

Today overall has been a large blending of cultures. A Taste of Italy, followed by an American cookout. A memorial service for American soldiers on Italian soil, organized and honored by Americans and Italians alike. It shows the great partnership that has formed between the two countries, and I feel like it is a great sign of appreciation for each other. I can't really describe it in elegant words right now, either because I am tired or it is just too hard for me to try and explain. It is just a really cool thought that we can be globally compassionate and form partnerships with people we once fought against.
Ciao!
Taylor