River Cruise Diary – Rhone American Cemetery

Rhone American Cemetery (21 April 2006)

While Nice is a city with an international airport, it’s about 150 miles from the Rhone River. That means we’ll be spending the day on a motor coach prior to boarding our boat. Being Golden Agers, that also means there will be frequent stops to see things...and do what Golden Agers need to do – stretch, walk, hit the can and eat. Works for me.

The first stop was the town of Draguignan. In August of 1944, the next major invasion of German-occupied France after D-Day came from the south. Called Operation Dragoon, allied soldiers came ashore on the Mediterranean coast and moved up the Rhone valley.

Rhone American Cemetery, Draguignan, France (21 April 2006)

With more than 116,000 Americans killed fighting World War I in Europe, our government needed a formal policy for the burial and repatriation of our war dead. Congress created the American Battle Monuments Commission in 1923. ABMC administers 26 cemeteries which are located in 10 foreign countries. Twelve of the cemeteries are in France. Seven contain the dead from World War I.

With 851 graves on twelve acres, the Rhone American Cemetery is the smallest of the American burial grounds in France. Regardless, it is still impressive. As you know, I have spent considerable time in cemeteries and while I have not yet seen any of the other American Cemeteries abroad, I know I’ve never seen a burial ground as immaculate as this one.

1944 Allied Invasion Relief Map

Rhone American Cemetery, Draguignan, France (21 April 2006)

We walked among the graves and listened to a brief lecture on the invasion in front of a large bronze relief map of the region. The map shows the dates and directions of Operation Dragoon forces as the invasion moved north toward its rendezvous with the D-Day forces. From there, the combined operation pushed toward Germany and eventual victory in 1945.

Rhone American Cemetery, Draguignan, France (21 April 2006)

In front of the chapel is the Wall of the Missing. Names of individuals who were recorded as missing in action or lost or buried at sea are engraved on the Wall. If remains are recovered or identified later, a rosette is added to the Wall.

Rhone American Cemetery, Draguignan, France (21 April 2006)

Back on the bus, we drove to the town of Aix-en-Provence in that charming, sensual, picturesque region of lavender, plane trees and Impressionist painters.