And so it happened, that on day 7 of our trip, August 13th, a bright, hot day, on our way from Ste-Maxime to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, we found ourselves parking outside Rhone American Cemetery in Draguignan. I was immediately struck by the beauty of this place, all vivid green grass, sparkling blue fountains, beautiful olive trees, and dazzling white marble. The grass was pristinely cut, and the white marble tombstones were arranged in perfectly spaced lines. I had done a little research the evening before and so knew the location of Orazio's plot - plot C, row 10, grave 4. We walked into the visitors center, picked up a couple pamphlets, and headed through the gates. As we walked back into the sunshine, we happened into a well-dressed American man and Jay asked him to point us toward plot C. He asked if we were there to visit a specific grave, and upon hearing it was my relative immediately ushered us back into the visitors center to see Alison Libersa, the cemetery's Interpretive Guide. Alison, a very kind British woman, was delighted to meet us. She explained that they were always honored to have family members visit and that they had special procedures in place for the occasion. So she gathered up a few things and escorted us back into the sunshine.
As we walked toward plot C at the back of the cemetery, Alison explained a bit about the cemetery and her work there. Part of her job is to keep the stories of those buried there alive, sharing them with those she gives tours to, especially school groups. She asked about Orazio's story, and I shared what I knew, vowing to learn more from my family and pass it on to her. I loved the idea of keeping the memories of these soldiers alive, especially since they're all buried so far from home.
When we stopped at the edge of plot C, Alison pointed to a particular row and asked that I walk along it until I found my great uncle. As I walked down the path, I marvelled at how pristine each of the white marble crosses was, and how much care was clearly given to each. And then, before I knew it, I found myself reading Orazio Emilio on the tombstone in front of me. I was immediately, and quite surprisingly, overcome with emotion. I don't know if it's because Emilio was my name or if it was the feeling of having something so familiar and familial that close to me when I felt so far away from home, but my eyes welled up a bit and I found I had to take a deep breath to steady myself. It was an amazing and incredible moment that I will never forget.
After giving me a little time there on my own to take it all in, Alison and Jay joined me. Alison brought out a small pail of sand which she told us was from Omaha beach in Normandy. She went on to explain that this was a gesture reserved for family and proceeded to show me what to do. She took a small amount of the soft sand and rubbed it into the inscription of the date on the marble cross, and then stepped back and allowed me to take my time to smooth the sand over each letter in the rest of the inscription. When I finished, the words on the grave immediately stood out in a simple, beautiful way.
Alison then placed an American and French flag into the ground in front of the cross, explaining that when we left we were to take the flags with us as keepsakes from our visit. She also told us what she knew about Orazio's unit and their whereabouts on the day he died. We were surprised to hear that he likely died near St Tropez, where we had been the previous evening, and that his unit would have followed some of the same route we had driven that day. It was bittersweet to think that we had unknowingly followed in my great uncle's footsteps. Alison then left us to take pictures and have some quiet moments on our own, encouraging us to stop by the visitors center on our way out, and reminding us that she would be there if we had any questions or needed any assistance.
Jay and I spent time taking pictures and making our way through the graves in plot C. I found several other soldiers from Massachusetts, one from New Hampshire, and one from Orazio's unit. Occasionally, instead of a cross, the tombstone would be a Star of David atop a pedestal, all still made of the same gorgeous white marble. We learned that there are 861 soldiers buried there, 61 of whom are still unknown, coming from every state except North Dakota. There is also a memorial to 294 who are missing. We visited the small, peaceful chapel behind this memorial, and read the bronze relief map showing the advancement of the American forces into Southern France during the middle of August, 1944. It is a beautiful cemetery and a lovely monument to those who fought in the south of France.
After quite a while, we retrieved the flags and said our silent good-byes to Orazio. We went back into the visitors center, signed the guest book, thanked Alison for all of her help, and took her card with a promise to send her whatever stories and pictures our family was willing to share. I left the cemetery with an amazing feeling of peace and happiness. It was a truly wonderful experience, and one that I am so honored and humbled to have had.
If you'd like more information about the Rhone American Cemetery, please visit http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/rh.php
Also, if you have any stories or pictures of Orazio Emilio that you'd be willing to share, please don't hesitate to message me.
(Note: These pictures are just the ones I took on my phone so I could share them easily. I have many more on my camera that I will share here once I've uploaded them.)
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