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RETURN TO EUROPE - SEPTEMBER 2004
60th Anniversary of the Liberation of France & Belgium
A trip sponsored by the 3rd Armored Division Association

PHOTO INDEX
A Small Slice of a Busy Tour

  A special thanks to Aurio Pierro, Bill Heinz, and Henri Rogister, who supplied these photos. Henri is from Liege, Belgium, and a long-time friend of the Division.


2004 PASSENGER LIST & ITINERARY
September 8 - 20, 2004
Tour Director: John O'Brien

Barclay, John
Beechler, Douglas
Eick, Russell
Eick, Rita
Frank, Jo Ann
Heinz, Bill
Heinz, Sarah
Hixson, Eleanor
Long, Leon
Kinsley, Allen
Kinsley, Phyllis
O'Brien, John
Paulson, Harold
Pierro, Aurio
Putnam, David
Stitt, Walter
Stitt, Elizabeth
Reeb, Virginia
Rourke, Laurence
Rourke, Almyra
Ruth, William
Ruth, Eulalia
Wood, Claude


2004 ITINERARY
- Abridged -
Belgium, France & Germany

 Sept. 8th
  • Leave: JFK New York - Delta Airlines.
9th Thu.
  • Arrive: Brussels Holiday Inn - Brussels Airport.
  • Balance of day at leisure. Welcome cocktail in evening.
 10th Fri.
  • Depart by private motorcoach for Liege.
  • Near Limont for lunch offered by Belgian Veterans Association and the town.
  • Visit of the American Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz.
  • Back to Limont for a Ceremony.
  • Reception.
  • Dinner offered by the Belgian Veterans Association and the town of Liege.
 11th Sat.
  • Reception at Fleron with a small ceremony at the Town Hall.
  • Visit of private museum concerning the liberation of Fleron and unveiling of commemorative plaque at that museum by Aurio Pierro and the owner of museum.
  • Arrival at the Town Hall of Dison for reception.
  • Lunch offered by the Belgian Associations at Dison.
  • Ceremony at the monument to the 3rd Armored Division and visit of the exhibition with young people of Dison.
 12th Sun.
  • Departure from Liege near Stoumont and La Gleize.
  • Visit of the commemorative plaque of the 3rd Armored at Parfondruy. The Task Force Lovelady arrived at the Hamlet of Parfondruy on 20 December and stayed in the hamlet during four days. The hamlet of Parfondruy located at one mile from the Center of Stavelot.
  • Ceremony at the monument of the Belgian bomb disposal expert killed after WWII.
  • Reception at Stavelot Town Hall.
  • Lunch at Stavelot.
  • Visit of exhibition at Stavelot concenring the Battle of the Bulge. On the way to La Gleize, a stop at Trois-Ponts and Petit-Coo in order to see the place where Aurio Pierro was during the Battle of the Bulge.
  • Visit to the Museum Ardennes 44 at La Gleize with a small reception.
 13th Mon.
  • Departure from Liege for Manhay - Visit Battlefiled: Vaux-Chavanne- Baneux, Lierneux, etc.
  • Reception at Lierneux by the Mayor of the town.
  • Small ceremony at the crossroads where there is a plaque dedicated to the 3rd Armored.
  • Lunch at Baraque de Fraiture offered by Promotional Tourism Office (Brussels-Wallonie).
  • Visit to the village of Fraiture where Reverend Walter Stitt was wounded and a meeting with the people of that village, followed by the visits to Joubieval, Ottre, Bihain, Langlir, and Cherain. All these villages were liberated by the 3rd Armored.
  • Departure from Ardennes.
  • Ceremony at Liege with the Mayor of Liege
  • Dinner given by the city of Liege.
14th Tue.
  • Departure from Liege.
  • Stop at the hamlet of Bois et Borsu (where Bill Ruth was during the Battle of the Bulge).
  • Travel in direction of Hotton and stop at Amonines.
  • Ceremony at Amonines.
  • Lunch offered by the town of Erezee.
  • Ceremony at Melines.
  • Ceremony at Sadzot.
  • Visit to monument at Mormont, followed by a reception offered by the town of Erezee.
 15th Wed.
  • Drive from Liege via Verviers into Germany and through Eupen, Aachen (a stop there), Stolberg, Brand, Busbach, Eschveiler, Duren, Golzheim, Blatzheim, and Kerpen to Cologne.
  • Lunch at the Stolberg-Donnerberg barracks and the possibility to view some of the latest military equipment.
  • Continue to Cologne.
 16th Thu.
  • Late morning visit to the Cologne Cathedral.
  • Afternoon motorcoach tour of Old and New Cologne with a local guide.
 17th Fri.
  • Depart in mid-morning and travel via the autobahn and autoroutes to Brussels.
 18th Sat.
  • Morning at leisure.
  • Afternoon motorcoach tour to the residential areas of Brussels, then on through the forest of Soignes to Waterloo and the battlefields where Napoleon was defeated.
  • Visit the Panorama paintings and the Visitors Center.
  • On return to Brussels, visit the beautiful Castle of Gaasbeek with its collections of antiques, porcelain, arms, silverware and tapestries.
 19th Sun.
  • Visit the city of Ghent and St. Bravo's Cathedral. Included are the important buildings from the Middle Ages such as the Belfry, St. Nicholas Church, and the Earls Castle.
  • Then on to Bruges for a visit to Our Lady Church with the statue by Michelangelo, the Market Square, and many other interesting sights.
  • An optional boat cruise along the canals.
  • Farewell dinner in evening.
20th Mon.
  • Leave: Brussels - Delta Airlines.
  • Arrive: JFK New York.

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