The same, but different
As you read this your Ol' Editor will have just arrived home from his 30th trip to Europe. Why do you go to the same place each time, they ask, and the answer is obvious: "We don't."
Each trip has some of the same, but each is different. Each has its own atmosphere, flavor, and highlights. We went places this time that we hadn't previously visited and we went to some of the old battlefields (where we'd been often) and came away with stronger emotional impact.
Belgians love Americans. Hoover fed them after World War I and Marshall restored them after World War II. After living under Nazi domination, they were liberated by American soldiers in 1944. So, they treat former liberators in grand style when ex-GIs return to the Ardennes.
Many veterans have been on multiple battlefield tours to Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. Like your OE, they can't explain why they go so often. But, as the rope of life nears its end, they agree that if there were only one more trip possible, it'd be to Belgium.
In all likelihood, this will have been the end of the rope trip for many who were present this year. We're glad they got to go back to Belgium one more time.
One veteran, who was worried about the cost, was told by his family to "Go ahead, we'll probably spend more on your funeral." That settled the question.
— BILL MEYER
