Four countries in 10 days brings history alive

“He was just 17.” I don’t remember which of my friends said this. But those words have stuck with me since visiting the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands.

Walking among the graves of the 2,338 Canadians buried at Groesbeek, I noticed their ages inscribed on the white stones. Most of the fallen were in their mid-20s, which is an awful tragedy. Seeing the grave of a 17-year-old affected me differently.

I am 17 years old.

Most of my friends are 17. Many of the other students on the trip are 17. If they’re not, they’re either 16 or 18.

When I boarded the plane to Berlin, I didn’t expect to be so profoundly affected by this trip—or to learn so much. Exploring parts of Germany with my classmates was just the beginning.

We visited the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and considered the violence that happened there. That was particularly heart-rending and life changing.

After Germany, we took a train to the Netherlands. One of our first stops was the war cemetery at Groesbeek.

Besides the ages marked on the graves, I was struck by how well-maintained the place was—a sign of the tremendous respect the Dutch people hold for these fallen Canadians. The cemetery was a beautiful place and an amazing monument.

Over the next few days as our group travelled through the Netherlands and into Belgium and France, I kept remembering the grave of 17-year-old soldier. His age followed me the entire way.

Thinking about that boy who died so young, I experienced the impact of war for the first time. The soldiers who fought were just like me and my classmates. Teenagers fighting and dying for freedom.

Seeing rows upon rows of tombstones and seeing the grave of that 17-year-old soldier gave me far more than the usual learning experience.

– Written by Judah, a Grade 12 student