We drove through Belgium and entered the very small country of Luxembourg in time for lunch. It was strange to pass across borders like our States, but they were countries and we had to exchange money and show our passports.

Luxembourg is a small country that sits next to the gently rolling Belgian hills. There are many rivers and streams and there were fine old castles sat on mountains. The country is bordered on the north and west by Belgium, the east by Germany and on the south by France.

Weary of staying at high priced guesthouses (we suspected they raised their prices for the Americans), carrying luggage up four flights of stairs and bathrooms a mile from our room, we decided to try staying at a Holiday Inn. We stopped at a Holiday Inn in Luxembourg and made reservations to stay in Zurich that evening.

The hotel dining room had a buffet lunch and the food looked so good we went through the line hungrily. Much of it was fish and I'm not a fish eater, but after so many days of Pome Fritz those fish salads tasted delicious. After we were full the hotel opened up another line for the main dishes.

Leaving Luxembourg our van crowded with luggage and happy people, we went through the corner of France. It was there that I saw a big French Poodle who looked just like our smaller black one at home. Not speaking French I said "Hello, dog," and he ignored me. I don't know if he would have paid attention if I spoke in French.

The part of France that we saw was run down and dirty and houses needed painting.

The most memorable thing we saw in France was a war memorial for American soldiers who died there in the Second World War. There we learned more of the heartaches suffered by so many in the country of France.

After Hitler came to power in Germany and during the winter of 1939 French and German armies faced each other in what was regarded as a sit-down war. On May 16 of 1940 the Germans attacked Northern France through the wooded Ardennes. During the early months of the war Benito Mussolini had maintained Italy's neutrality, but when France was about to fall Mussolini joined the Nazis, declared war on the allies and invaded southern France. Germans entered Paris on June 14 and forced France to sign an Armistice on June 22 of 1940.

The fall of France was a victory for Hitler and a great boost for German sea power. Nazi Germany occupied most of France. French ports became bases for U-boats, long lines of submarines that acted together.

By May of 1941 the Germans and their allies dominated almost all of the non-Soviet European continent. Most of the territories occupied by German troops were subject to the authority of ruthless SS and Gestapo. The Nazis exploited the European countries of its resources for the benefit of Germany without thought of the effect it had upon the defeated people. Economic wealth was robbed for German use and industrial plants were geared to meet German war needs.

In 1943 Germany had increasing difficulties inside occupied Europe. At first resistance to German occupation was weak because many believed that the Nazis were unbeatable, but after Germany began suffering military defeats, anti-Nazi activity in occupied countries increased. Organized groups, aided by the British and later by American intelligence, killed officials and soldiers, wrecked trains, blew up ammunition dumps, sabotaged factories, provided useful information to the Allies, helped escaped prisoners of war, and downed Allied pilots. Many, not active in the resistance, helped shelter and protect those who were active. Spreading his forces over a large area and treating the conquered people with overwhelming cruelty, Hitler could not crush the resistance despite the harsh measures taken by his administrators.

In mid-August of 1943 the United States and Great Britain planned a landing at Normandy to take place on May 1, 1944.

As they prepared for a cross-channel assault on France, the western Allies using British soil built up one of the largest and most powerful invasion forces in history. For two months before the landing, while troops, equipment, and supplies poured into Britain Allied Air Forces bombed railroads, bridges, airfields and fortifications in France.

Because of delays in gathering the necessary equipment and plagued by bad weather, the operation which was led by General Eisenhower began on June 6, 1944. It was known as D-Day. Throughout the night paratroopers were dropped behind German coastal defenses, supported by hundreds of warships and small craft.

Between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. Allied troops moved ashore between Cherbourg and Le Havre, France, in history's largest amphibious operation. It involved 5,000 ships and 11,000 Allied aircraft. Because the major French ports in the north were mined and reinforced the Allies improvised two harbors with pontoons, breakwaters and sunken ships.

Between 15 and 20 million military personnel were killed in action in World War Two, including 292,000 Americans and 210,000 Frenchmen.

The cemetery in France was quiet where the bodies of some of those men still rest. Trees and lawn were green and neatly landscaped. Hundreds of white crosses dotted the countryside. The caretaker was extremely nice to us as we paused in our rushed trip to remember a sadder time.

As I looked at those rows of little white crosses I once more was reminded of the high cost and the many lives that it took to protect our freedom.