Meuse-Argonne American WWI Cemetery

We were now ready to begin the “road trip”. Wednesday morning we departed, not to return to Orleans until 10 days later. Our first stop after a few hours of driving was the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery for WWI. We brought with us the location of the cross marking the gravesite of a relative, John C. Nissly. Once we were close enough the road signs led us to the cemetery. Along the way we stopped for lunch in a small town, picnicking in the grass around a stone church. Just outside the town we noticed what looked like a Pennsylvania war memorial. Curious, we circled back to investigate. In the town of Varennes, the state of Pennsylvania had built a memorial in 1927 to the troops who served in the “Great War”. Interesting. This was to be a recurring theme on the trip. Many towns in France and Germany contain reminders of the wars, either through memorials or shattered buildings that have not been rebuilt. Before continuing to the cemetery, we stopped for water and snacks at a grocery store, including a sweet egg white concoction. The white and pink sugar balls would last us for several days.

We were not disappointed by the cemetery. The Meuse-Argonne is the largest American cemetery in Europe. The groundskeepers were hard at work when we arrived; not surprising since the landscape was immaculate. After gawking at the vast sea of white crosses bordered by well-groomed trees, we navigated to the Nissly cross. It was emotional for my dad. He had heard the stories about John from his mother who was impressed by the young man in his uniform. John C. Nissly, Cook, 313 Ammo Train, 88 Division. We took our time and meandered up the hill to the bunker-looking chapel. Then down the curving driveway, up the hill opposite to the visitor’s center, before returning to the car.