Al Alamein 2004

During our study abroad in Alexandria, the whole group went out to Al Alamein for a day. Alamein is the site of the decisive battle in the North African theatre during World War II. It was the first battle that the Germans lost, and set in motion the events that, in the end, resulted in the Axis powers being driven out of North Africa. There is a very peaceful and respectful military graveyard there, and a neat little museum. There's even a separate grave/monument/mausoleum sort of a thing for the German soldiers.

I was very touched by the rows of grave markers, standing guard over a stretch of land that really isn't all that much to look at - mostly dust and dirt and rocks, with the occasional scrub bush. The men who gave their lives in Alamein weren't anywhere near their homes. They weren't even anywhere that look remotely similar to their homes. But they fought and died nonetheless; the fought for what they believed in.