It was amazing. We did color guard ceremonies at memorials in Luxembourg (there are 300+ memorials to Allied soldiers there), toured where dad had gone along with guys from his outfit. They were treated like heroes everywhere we went. At the final big dinner, Gen. Patton’s granddaughter was the guest speaker. Patton is buried with his men in Luxembourg at his request. We went to a ceremony there, she placed a wreath on his grave. The graveyard has a big display of all the troop movements, incredible.
My friend’s dad was a paratrooper on D Day. They took terrible losses. He and his men flushed out some German troops in a house with grenades and gunfire. The owners had been evicted fortunately. They killed the Germans. A few years ago prior to passing he went back to the house and knocked on the door. Oddly they recognized him despite his and their age. The owners did not repair the bullet holes inside. They left them untouched as a reminder of being liberated by the Americans. He was treated like royalty. Today a plaque is attached to the house celebrating their action on that day.