Day 14 of my Band of Brothers tour – Points (Going Home).
What an amazing two weeks! I thought I knew the story of the Band of Brothers. I have seen the complete series countless times. I have read the book by Stephen Ambrose several times. I have read just about every book authored by historians and/or by the men from Easy Company. This tour gave me a perspective that none of those stories could.
On this tour, I was able to walk the ground and see where the history actually took place. I was at Camp Toccoa and went to the top of Mount Curahee. I was at Brecourt Manor and saw where the German guns were located. I saw the tree line that Winters and Compton used to attack each gun. We were explained the tactics used and why. I was able to look down on Foy from the Bois Jacques. I saw the remnants of Easy Company fox holes. We were taken into Foy and were told how the battle progressed. We saw battle damage on buildings that were a direct result of Easy Company fire. We stood on the bank of the river in Haguenau where Easy’s last patrol crossed. I sat in the main hall of Hitler’s Eagles Nest.
But our trip wasn’t just about Easy Company and all they accomplished. I saw the D-Day planning maps at Southwick House. I saw Pegasus Bridge where the first Allied soldiers landed on D-Day. I walked the ground of Pointe du Hoc and marveled at how the US Rangers could have scaled the cliff. I saw French fortifications on the Maginot line. I visited US cemeteries at Omaha Beach, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. We even stopped at a German cemetery outside of Bastogne.
There are so many more examples that I could go on of how special this trip was. I met some great people, stayed at some amazing hotels, and ate wonderful food.
If you have an interest in Easy Company, this trip through Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours is the only way to go. Our historian Matt and tour coordinator Connie did an amazing job of making this trip a once in a lifetime experience. It exceeded all expectations. I would travel again with Stephen Ambrose Tours in a heartbeat. After each day, I didn’t think the next day could be better but unequivocally it was. If this trip would have ended after just the first few days, where we studied all aspects of the Overlord invasion, I would have felt that it was worth every penny.
We traveled 1,873 miles, through 8 different countries during the 14 day tour. I have memories of a lifetime. I will pass on my experiences to anyone who will listen because history has to be retold so it does not repeat itself.
There are a lot of other “Band of Brothers” type tours out there but, this is the ORIGINAL one. Developed by Dr. Ambrose who met and traveled with the men from Easy Company. Dr. Ambrose walked the actual ground with Dick Winters and the other members of Easy so every aspect of tour was correct. Don’t be fooled by imitations. Chose the first and the finest!
Curahee!