Journey Log: Centennial – Fourth Ride, Part 1

(Editor’s Note: The origin and first three legs of John Sterkendries’ American WWI journeys are chronicled here and here. Media coverage of his project can be found here and here.)

I would like to dedicate this leg of my journey to a true friend, Ludo

May 2023

My wife and I invited my close friend Ludo, and his wife Magriet to come to Pittsburgh, PA with us to attend our daughter Axelle’s grad school graduation.

Because my business in Belgium requires my constant attention, we unfortunately were only able to make it a 5-day trip. My next trip would have to wait until August.

August 2023

In between the moment I created a display stand for the statue, and the moment I donated it at the WWI Museum in Kansas City, MO, there were:

• 8 Flights
• 9 Overnight stays
• A 3000 km motorcycle ride to Kansas City, MO

This journey would end with a 2200 km ride back to Houston, TX in middle 2024.

In order to be able to donate the statue to the WWI Museum in Kansas City, MO, I had to adjust my originally planned journey (A ride following the complete outer edge of the United States) and schedule this extra trip to the middle of the United States.

Donating the statue together with Axelle at the WWI monument in Washington D.C. was no problem as I was able to make use of a long layover to Pittsburgh, PA.

A 7-day journey through 10 states:

Texas               Houston

Louisiana         Shreveport/Bossier City

Arkansas         Hot springs

Tennessee        Union City

Kentucky        Arlington

Illinois             Chester

Missouri          Saint-Louis

Iowa                Ottumwa

Nebraska         Nebraska City

Kansas             Hiawatha/Troy

This story begins with the statue that my daughter had which represented her great grandfather, a soldier who fought in WWI.

This statue, made from the clay from the battlefield in Ypres, was displayed in her bedroom in Belgium.

Axelle graduated in May of 2023 and had already found employment in Pittsburgh.

I had already told her that I would also bring a statue with me to donate during my next trip, together with Dan Dayton and Chris Christopher from the Doughboy Foundation, to the WWI Memorial in Washington DC.

During one of our daily Skype conversations, she told us that she wanted to donate “her statue” representing her great-grandfather to the WW1 monument in Washington DC.

She would like this statue to be in the country where she lives and will have her future.

This way, her great-grandfather is close to her, and he can watch over her from Washington D.C. when my wife and me are not in the U.S.

So, there was a lot of work to be done:

• A flight for me from Brussels to Washington D.C.
• A flight for Axelle from Pittsburgh to Washington DC (to donate her statue to the WWI memorial together with me).
• A flight both of us back to Pittsburgh.
• A flight for me from Pittsburgh to Houston.
• Riding the motorcycle through 10 states from Houston to Kansas City, 3000 km. (I donated a statue to the WWI Museum in Kansas City)
• A flight for me from Kansas City to Pittsburgh.
• A flight for me from Pittsburgh to Brussels with a layover from in Washington D.C.

August 7th, 2023

On August 7th, at 1:00 pm, I landed in Washington D.C.

Axelle had landed 2 hours earlier.

We rented a car and made our way to our appointment: donating her statue to the WWI memorial. We had to be on time because there is a daily tap at the WWI monument at exactly 05:00 pm.

After this tap, we would hand over the statue.

With only 45 minutes left, Chris Christopher guided us via text through the very busy traffic of Washington D.C., to their office located next to the White House.

Finally, with the goal in sight, only 200 meters and 10 minutes to go, suddenly all traffic stopped?…

A large number of police motorcycles and among them, three large SUVs and “The Beast.”

The one time we are in Washington D.C. running out of time, president Biden decided that he wanted a quick snack from Walmart 😉

We received a text from Christopher, the garage is open and he’s waiting on us to rush to the WWI Memorial together.

After some painstaking final yards, we’re greeted by a friendly looking man (Christopher).

No time to gift him the Belgian chocolates I brought, we have to rush to make the The Last Post.

Seeing this Taps live took my breath away.

The Last Post played at the moment we were at the WWI Memorial.

After the Taps, we handed over Axelle’s statue to Dan Dayton and made some pictures.

When I contacted Wesley Butstraen from the Ypres tourist office, i told him about my trip in the US, I also told him that me and Axelle would donate her statue of her great-grandfather to Dan Dayton at the WWI Memorial in Washington DC. He would organize a handmade ceramic dish, presented by the city of Ypres, which I would hand over to Dan Dayton.

The statuette of Axelle’s great-grandfather and the handmade ceramic dish donated by the city of Ypres will be permanently displayed at the Willard Hotel.  But first they need to acquire an appropriate display case.

The Willard InterContinental Washington, is a well-known hotel in the American capital Washington, D.C. In 1963, Martin Luther King wrote his I Have a Dream speech here. The hotel is located at 1401-1409 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., near the White House. Every American president since Franklin Pierce has stayed at or attended an event at the hotel.

Some other items we brought were some bracelets from the WWI Museum in Ypres and I also brought three poppy shaped pins, which were made from bullets found on the battlegrounds in Ypres.

When I knew the date on which we would donate the statue of Axelle’s great-grandfather to the WWI Memorial in Washington DC, I drove to Ypres to pick up the beautiful ceramic dish that Wesley had arranged for me. We were going to hand over the statue to Dan Dayton at the WWI Memorial after The Last Post had sounded there.

The buglers of the Last Post Association are responsible for sounding the Last Post in Ypres. These buglers are volunteers from the Ypres fire brigade. Knowing this, I also drove to the Fire Station in Ypres. I told my story to a firefighter. I asked him if he had a patch from his fire brigade or something from The Last Post of Ypres. I would give this to the Bugler in Washington DC.

He told me that someone from the Last Post Association was upstairs in his office. He walked upstairs and a few minutes later he returned, there was unfortunately no time for me to discuss this.…On my way back home, I received an email from Jan Matsaert, Secretary from the Last Post Association, they had already been to Washington DC. themselves and had brought over “more than enough.” I was baffled that they thought a patch or a small souvenir would be overdoing it.

At the tourist office in Ypres, they have a Poppy pin made from a bullet found in the battlefield. I bought this and handed it over to the Bugler on site. I will never arrive anywhere empty handed.

From Dan and Christopher, we received a beautiful book, medal and poppy shaped pins.

When I was driving down our street a few months ago, I saw a neighbor who was using these granite stones for the parking lot at his house. I stopped by and told him my U.S. adventure/story, and I asked him where he got them. Without thinking, he gave me some of his stones. I made two Pedestals out of one of these stones.

These stones were collected from a road (Heerbaan) made by the Romans +2000 years ago. The Romans used these roads to move troops, materials and provisions throughout Europe.

I guess this was an early version of a European route 66. 😉

One of the many Roman roads that can be found in Belgium. (1st to 4th century AD), some still in use today.

Axelle’s statue, representing her great grandfather.

Statues at the memorial in Ypres Belgium.

American soldiers waiting to be shipped out to Europe.

Midway through our meeting, we receive the following notification:

We all packed up our things and headed to the parking garage. At this point, I’ve been traveling for over 2 days. We barely made it in time for the Taps and our meeting, and didn’t even get 5 minutes to talk to our American friends or to say goodbye.

Such a pity, but Mother Nature had decided.

We quickly said our goodbyes and made our way to our hotel.

August 8th, 2023

Leaving Washington, DC with my daughter and flying to Pittsburgh, PA. Arriving at the airport, I noticed she was very amused.

I was wondering what it could be, until I saw the “plane.”

If we had one more downgrade, we would’ve made the journey in a hot air balloon.

I had told her that a few years ago, I was doing rolls in a airplane (Trojan below) above the highways.

When landing, one of the front nose wheels exploded and we ended up in a grass field next to the runway.

Arriving in (mostly) one piece in Pittsburgh, PA, my daughter didn’t waste any time giving me a “To Do” list….

• Replacing the pistons of her car’s trunk
• Adding a new dashcam
• Topping of her gas…
• Daily outings for milkshakes 😉, etc..

August 10th, 2023

Flight from Pittsburgh, PA to Houston, TX. Arrival time was 8:30AM and it was already 40 degrees Celsius!

Such crazy high temperatures.

In an Uber on my way to the hotel. As an owner of car body shops, I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing this guy drive around with his arm out the window, minutes before losing his back bumper.

I took another Uber to the storage facility where I left my bike. I re-installed my battery and the engine started immediately. After a year and a few months, unbelievable.

I loaded everything on my motorcycle and made my way back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow.

My final stop for the evening was The Pearland Memorial VFW Post 7109.

Such fun guys! That evening they had a get together with a dinner. The chef asked me to try his food. It was amazing. Thank you so much for the nice welcome and meal!

These kinds of stops make my trips so much more fun.

August 11^th. 2023

From Houston, TX to Bossier City, LA, 490 kilometers, 5 hours.

I contacted the Barksdale Global Power Museum to see if there would be a way for me to take a tour. Unfortunately I would need to apply for special clearance as the museum is located on an active military site. Too bad…

I came past VFW Post 5187 on my way to Zwolle. It was sadly closed.

I changed the ice packs in my jacket and continued.

John was here…

Bossier City (Louisiana): 40 degrees Celsius, yikes!

VFW Post 5951. These two amazing veterans asked me why I was so far from home. I told them my story and they did the same. These two friends have been on several tours together.

A piece of origami art, 😉 made from a $1 bill by the veteran on the left.

Back home I have a cupboard filled with items I received on my trip throughout the U.S. Some of which are below.

At left, a pin from WWI, featuring a 2” dagger. Soldiers gifted these to their loved ones. At right, A WWII era pin, indicating what proficiencies you possessed. I got this from Axelle, really cool!

In the evenings I placed all the icepacks in ice and filled my bags with ice in which I added two bottles of water, connected with a straw.

This allowed me to have something cold to drink without having to make frequent stops. It was so hot though, that I had to refill these every hour anyway.

Trying to get everything dry for the next day.

August 12^th , 2023

From Bossier City, LA to Little Rock, AK, 450 kilometers, 5 hours.

Took a small break in Dubach (Louisiana). It’s sadly a bit neglected.

American Legion Post 13 Hot Springs (Arkansas).  An amazing place to take a moment to rest and meet wonderful people.

Thank you all for the drinks, T-shirt and license plate bracket!

The nature here was breathtaking.

It was here that I was advised to travel with a tent, which sounded like a wonderful idea.

When I arrived back home after my trip, I instantly purchased a tent, which I’ll be taking with me on every trip from here on out.

Well, aside from trips made in the winter that is.

August 13^th, 2023

From Little Rock, AR, through Memphis, TN to Union City, TN, 450 kilometers, 4 hours.

I made a detour to Vilonia to visit the Museum Of Veterans, which was unfortunately closed.

VFW Jones Walker Post  4862 Union City.

Such wonderful people!

I received a bunch of gifts here.

The Choctaw Code Talkers:

Michael told me all kinds of stories all night while treating me to drinks left and right. He is a member of the Choctaw tribe and told me that there would be a meeting in a few months of the Choctaw tribe in Oklahoma. I will pay a visit here on the next leg of my journey and donate a statue here.

The Choctaw code talkers were a group of Choctaw Indians from Oklahoma who pioneered the use of Native American languages as military code during World War I.

The government of the Choctaw Nation maintains that the men were the first American native code talkers ever to serve in the US military.

They were conferred the Texas Medal of Valor in 2007.

Code talking, the practice of using Native American languages for use as military code by American armed forces, got its start during World War I.

The German forces proved not only to speak excellent English but also to have intercepted and broken American military codes.

An American officer, Colonel Alfred Wainwright Bloor, noticed a number of American Indians serving with him in the 142nd Infantry in France.

Overhearing two Choctaw Indians speaking with each another, he realized he could not understand them.

He also realized that if he could not understand them, the same would be true for Germans, no matter how good their English skills. Besides, many Native American languages have never been written down.

With the active cooperation of his Choctaw soldiers, Colonel Bloor tested and deployed a code, using the Choctaw language in place of regular military code.

The first combat test took place on October 26, 1918, when Colonel Bloor ordered a “delicate” withdrawal of two companies of the 2nd Battalion, from Chufilly to Chardeny.

The movement was successful: “The enemy’s complete surprise is evidence that he could not decipher the messages”, Bloor observed. A captured German officer confirmed they were “completely confused by the Indian language and gained no benefit whatsoever” from their wiretaps.

Native Americans were already serving as messengers and runners between units. By placing Choctaws in each company, messages could be transmitted regardless if the radio was overheard or the telephone lines tapped.

In a postwar memo, Bloor expressed his pleasure and satisfaction. “We were confident the possibilities of the telephone had been obtained without its hazards.” He noted, however, that the Choctaw tongue, by itself, was unable to fully express the military terminology then in use.

No Choctaw word or phrase existed to describe a “machine gun”, for example. So the Choctaws improvised, using their words for “big gun” to describe “artillery” and “little gun shoot fast” for “machine gun.”

The 19 known code talkers are as follows:

1. Albert Billy(October 8, 1885– May 29, 1959). Billy, a full blood Choctaw, was born at Howe, San Bois County, Choctaw Nation, in the Indian Territory. He was a member of the 36th Division, Company E.
2. Mitchell Bobb(January 7, 1895-December 1921). Bobb’s place of birth was Rufe, Indian Territory Rufe, Oklahoma, in the Choctaw Nation. He was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E.
3. Victor Brown(1896–1966). Brown was born at Goodwater, Kiamitia County, Choctaw Nation.
4. Ben Carterby(December 11, 1891 – February 6, 1953). Carterby was a full blood Choctaw roll number 2045 born in Ida, Choctaw County, Oklahoma.
5. Benjamin Franklin ColbertBorn September 15, 1900, at Durant Indian Territory, died January 1964. He was the youngest Code Talker. His Father, Benjamin Colbert Sr, was a Rough Rider during the Spanish – American War.
6. George Edwin Davenport(April 28, 1887 – April 17, 1950). Davenport was born in Finley, Oklahoma. He enlisted into the armed services in his home town. George may also have been called James. George was the half brother to Joseph Davenport.
7. Joseph Harvey Davenportwas from Finley, Oklahoma, Feb 22, 1892. Died April 23, 1923, and is buried at the Davenport Family Cemetery on the Tucker Ranch.
8. James (Jimpson) Morrison Edwards(October 6, 1898 – October 13, 1962). Edwards was born at Golden, Nashoba County, Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. He was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E.
9. Tobias William Frazier(August 7, 1892– November 22, 1975). (A full blood Choctaw roll number 1823) Frazier was born in Cedar County, Choctaw Nation. He was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E.
10. Benjamin Wilburn Hampton(a full blood Choctaw roll number 10617) born May 31, 1892, in Bennington, Blue County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, now Bryan County, Oklahoma. He was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E.
11. Noel JohnsonCode Talker Noel Johnson, 142nd Infantry, Born August 25, 1894, at Smithville Indian Territory. He attended Dwight Indian Training School. His World War I draft registration stated he had weak eyes. Great Niece Christine Ludlow said he was killed in France and his body was not returned to the US.
12. Otis Wilson Leader(a Choctaw by blood roll number 13606) was born March 6, 1882, in what is today Atoka County, Oklahoma. He died March 26, 1961, and is buried in the Coalgate Cemetery.
13. Solomon Bond Louis(April 22, 1898 – February 15, 1972). Louis, a full blood Choctaw, was born at Hochatown, Eagle County, Choctaw Nation, in the Indian Territory. He was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E. He died in Bennington, Bryan County, Oklahoma in 1972.
14. Pete Maytubbywas born Peter P. Maytubby (a full blood Chickasaw roll number 4685) on September 26, 1892, in Reagan, Indian Territory now located in Johnston County, Oklahoma. Pete was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E. He died in 1964 and is buried at the Tishomingo City Cemetery in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
15. Jeff Nelson(unknown). He was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E.
16. Joseph Oklahombi(May 1, 1895 – April 13, 1960). Oklahombi – whose surname in the Choctaw language means man killer – was born at Bokchito, Nashoba County, Choctaw Nation in the Indian Territory. He was a member of the 143rd Infantry, Headquarters Company. Oklahombi is Oklahoma’s most decorated war hero, and his medals are on display in the Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City.
17. Robert Taylor(a full blood Choctaw roll number 916) was born January 13, 1894, in Idabel, McCurtain County, Oklahoma (based on his registration for the military in 1917). He was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E.
18. Charles Walter Veach(May 18, 1884 – October 13, 1966). (Choctaw by Blood roll #10021) Veach was from Durant, OK (Blue County I.T.) he served in the last Choctaw legislature and as Captain of the Oklahoma National Guard, 1st Oklahoma, Company H which served on the TX border against Pancho Villa and put down the Crazy Snake Rebellion. He remained Captain when Company H. 1st Oklahoma, was mustered into Company E. 142nd Infantry, 36th Division, U. S. Army at Ft. Bowie, TX in October 1917. After World War II he represented the Choctaw Nation on the Inter-tribal Council of the 5 Civilized Tribes. He is buried in Highland Cemetery, Durant, Oklahoma.
19. Calvin Wilson Calvin was born June 25, 1894, at Eagletown, Eagle County, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. He was a member of the 142nd Infantry, Company E. His date of death is unknown. Wilson’s name is misspelled in military records as “Cabin.”

At 8AM, I had to be back at the Post as there were two more veterans who wanted to say goodbye.

Big T on the right and his friend. Both of these gentlemen had some beautiful motorcycles. Big T’s was a Trike with an old Chevrolet backend. How kind of them to come and see me off.

August 14th, 2023

From Union City, TN through Arlington, KY to Saint Louis, MO, 350 Kilometers, 4 hours

Stopping for gas, i asked the woman working I was looking for some breakfast and wanted to know what the people around here tend to eat in the morning.

She told me that the most popular item is a biscuit with sausage gravy. Never having tried it before, I decided to give it a go.

…I’m unsure if I would make a good local.

A quick trip along the Mississippi river.

A quick stop at a wooden Harley.

In Chester, IL I came past the American Legion Post 487.

I also came past the VFW Post 6632 Red Bud.

I left a folder and continued my journey.

Next stop: the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in Saint Louis, MO. Arriving at the museum, I contacted a representative. They were unfortunately unavailable so I left a message. Walking in, I asked an employee if there was anyone available that I could talk to with regard to donating a statue. Mr. Sundlov, the director of the museum, came outside. I told him my story and that I had an extra statue that I would like to donate to them. He informed me that everything had to go through a certain process and sadly couldn’t accept anything. I waited for a bit but without receiving a call back, I decided to continue my journey. I received a call back later that day, stating that they would love to accept the statue. By that time, I had already ridden quite some kilometers and told them that my journey only goes in one direction and that I couldn’t ride back.

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO.

Overnight in St. Louis.

August 15th, 2023

From Saint Louis, MO to Ottumwa (Iowa) IA 450 Kilometers, 5 hours. On my way to Brussels, I came past a house with this beautiful memorial.

I knocked on the door and the woman living there told me that her husband had fought in the Vietnam War. The memorial was to commemorate his fallen buddies. I told her my story, gave her a bracelet from Ypres, and continued my journey.

On my way to Brussels.

Brussels American Legion Post 685

After arriving in the tiny town of Brussels, I made a quick stop at the American Legion Post.

It unfortunately it was closed, however a woman I met there made a quick phone call and after a few moments, a man opened the Post and told me all about the Post and his hometown of Brussels.

They loved that I came from the land of the “true” Brussels.

PVT Francis Pohlmann

BIRTH
1894
Colhoun County Illinois USA
PASSED
3 Okt. 1918 (Age 23-24)
France

FINAL RESTING PLACE
Saint Marys Catholic Cemetery
Brussels Calhoun County Illinois VS

He told me the story of a veteran in Brussels and the airplane “The Devil’s Darlin”:

Boeing B29 – s/n 42-24629 Superfortress bomber of the 73rdBomb Wing, 498th Bomb Group, 873rd Bomb Squadron, “DEVIL’S DARLIN” nose art, Tinian 1945.

4 February 1945
JAPAN – (Mission 26) Sixty-nine B-29’s of the 110 dispatched from the 73rd and 313th Bomb Wing’s attack the Kobe urban area, and 30 B-29’s attack targets of opportunity and last resort including 15 hitting Natsusaka.
This is the first mission over Japan by groups of the 313th BW (30 B-29’s from the 504th and 505th BG’s). Almost 200 attacking fighters down one B-29 and damage 35 others. One other B-29 crashes on landing at Saipan. B-29’s claim 63 Japanese aircraft.

The two B-29’s lost were from the 73rd Bomb Wing:
42-24608 – 498th Bomb Group – T3 – Stendahl crew; crashed on Saipan due to battle damage, crew survived.
42-24629 – 498th Bomb Group – T9 – “Devil’s Darlin” – was not lost over target, ditched, Aircraft commander Malone was lost after ditching, the rest of the crew survived.

When the United States entered World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, hoping to become a pilot but, upon discovering he was color blind, became a crewman on a B-29 Superfortress, the “Devil’s Darlin’,” flying from the island of Saipan.

Initially trained as a gun turret technician and armorer, he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant (S/Sgt), became a CFC (Central Fire Control) lead gunner within his crew, and completed twelve bombing missions over Japan. Twice, his aircraft was damaged badly and the crew was forced to ditch at sea.

After the first crash landing, he left the safety of his life raft, swam in the dark of night and rescued a fellow crewman who had been separated from the other survivors in the Pacific Ocean and severely injured.

Clinton was granted unit campaign ribbons and awarded the Air Medal and the Soldier’s Medal for risking his life for the sake of a fellow crew member.

At age 93, toured the USS Pampanito, a submarine identical to the USS Ronquil which rescued his crew after their second ditching and they lived aboard six days before they were brought back to their base on Saipan.

That night I slept at the Ottumwa hotel. The hotel was built in 1917 and is, according to the receptionist, haunted near my room.

An apparition of a lady in white haunts the hotel basement, which formerly served as a ballroom. The ghost of a man in a suit haunts the hallways of the hotel. Strange noises and voices have been heard. The face of a man has also been seen in the hotel basement. Shadowy apparitions are seen in various parts of the building. Heavy breathing is heard when there is no one around.

Before calling it for the night, I decided to make a quick stop at the American Legion O.B. Nelson Post 3.

Deputy of Wapello County Sheriff’s Office Migual Torres was kind enough to drive ahead of me to show me the way.

August 16th, 2023

From Ottumwa, IA to Hamburg, IA: 350 kilometers, 4 hours.

My bike desperately needed some maintenance and repairs. I looked online for a Harley Davison retailer and found Lentner Cycle Company. After searching for a while, I parked on the side of the road. I waved a fellow rider down and asked him if he knew where I could find the business. By sheer luck, it turned out that he was a mechanic there and was making a test ride! Apparently Lentner wasn’t an authorized Harley Davison retailer anymore, but still repaired all types.

The woman on the picture is Donna, Wade’s wife. I would like to take this moment to thank her for the amazing service, the discount she gave me and the wonderful conversation we shared. I wish her, her husband, and their team all the best. I didn’t even notice that my suspension was completely empty.

After repacking all my gear, I didn’t even recognize my motorcycle. It rode like an absolute dream.

I can’t recommend them enough, a business in which service and people still are a number one priority.

On my way to Hamburg, IA I passed through a small town called Osceola, IA.

It was here that I met a police officer named Cody Smith. He invited me to come and introduce myself to the representatives of tourism and the mayor.

I met a lot of wonderful people that day.

A memorial stone in the center of the town dedicated to the veterans of multiple wars, including WWI.

Cody was a veteran himself and showed me his own memorial stone.

He told me to visit a memorial not too far from where we met: the Clarke County Freedom Wall.

The Clarke County Freedom Wall, located at the Murray Cemetery, just off Highway 34 and County Highway R16. Shown, in the background, is the Honor Wall, where individuals can buy plaques engraved with the names of their veterans. Inset in the photo above are the plaques of World War I veterans honored there.

That night I rested my head in Hamburg on wheels.

August 17th, 2023

From Hamburg, IA to Dawson City, NE to Kansas City, MO.

Continuing my journey, I was looking for a place to have lunch. I located a listing for a small restaurant named “At Grandpa’s” in the town of Fillmore, MO. I drove half an hour through forests, gravel roads, etc. with no restaurant in sight. When I finally arrived in a small town, I was told by the locals that the restaurant I was searching for had been closed for a very long time.

However, the town had a flea market planned the next morning and, if I had a tent among my gear, I was more than welcome to spend the night with them.
I wish I had some camping gear with me, as I would definitely have taken them up on their offer.

The man in the middle is Ronny Stouder who is also a veteran.

Afterwards I continued my journey for a while until I had to stop for gas. Taking advantage of this break, I decided to have lunch in the meantime. And surprising enough, Mr. Stouder and his family ended up at the exact same restaurant!

Final few miles to the museum.

Finally arrived.

Now to find a place to rest my head before donating the statue in the morning.

August 18, 2023

The donation.

The statue shown below was gifted by the mother (Nicole) of a tour guide in Ypres. It has now found its home in the WW1 Museum in Kansas City, MO.

Part 2 is coming soon!

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