FLORENCE, Italy (WJTV) – My wife and I visited a special cemetery near Florence, Italy.
We spent a few days in Florence before traveling to Rome. Along the way we made a stop at the Florence American Cemetery, where more than 4,500 American soldiers from World War II are buried.
The cemetery is located in a valley with hills. Our group fell into a respectful silence as we walked among the gravestones. Many had the names of the person buried beneath them buried, many more with the text “Known only but to God.”
The War Memorial Building in Jackson
I was struck by how well maintained the cemetery is. It has been carefully laid out with rows of graves all curved to fit the contours of the hill, yet neatly decorated from all angles.
For me, this was not just a military cemetery. First of all, it’s in a foreign country, not America. There are soldiers there who served in the same part of the world my father was, only he came home and picked up his life.
These soldiers never managed to run a hardware store and become a deacon or elder in their church or mayor of their town. But what they sacrificed enabled the rest of us to do so.
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