Day 4 - Last Day of the march

This morning we were SO looking forward to Spremberg! We thought we would be walking (hobbling) about 14 miles, ending at Spremberg. HOWEVER, once again, it was further than we thought. Today we walked 17.5 miles. You can click on the map here to see a larger version of our father's route. Note that since this area was alternately German and Polish, there are both German and Polish names for each town.

We will continue to upload more pictures every day. (Note new video under Day 3, below.) Read on for more concerning our last day of the march...

Tomorrow we will go by bus from Spremberg to Dresden to see the restored areas - much has been repaired since Dresden was bombed by the Allied forces.
See the new pictures here: SLIII Forced March Trip

As my sister described below, she and I kept each other going today by singing. We sang songs from our childhood, which seemed most appropriate for the occasion. We not only attempted to honor our father through our footsteps but also with our voices, as we sang songs that he and my mother had taught us: "Come to the Church in the Wild Wood," "Silent Night, Holy Night," and even "A Cannibal King." :o) We also pooled our memories to sing all the Rogers and Hammerstein songs we had sung over the years. By this point, my feet hurt so much I was attempting to place them flat-footed on the ground with as little ankle movement as possible to avoid disturbing the already-popped blisters on my heels. Evelyn has been referring to me as "Sister Miriam" because of the black balaclava I've been wearing over my hair. I'm sure if we had been in a more populated area, the locals would have wondered at these strangely-dressed women, singing in a foreign language and walking in the stilted manner typical of a two-year-old who didn't quite make it to the bathroom in time.

So how do I describe the sense of accomplishment I feel? It is surpassed only by the relief at finishing the march reenactment. The others feel the intense relief as well, and once again, the emotions were running high at dinner as we drank champagne and apfelsaft (applejuice) to celebrate the occasion. I am sure our fathers were relieved that they were done with the walking when they reached the train station in Spremberg, but the horror of their journey would continue. The days they would spend in the crowded, fetid boxcars with no facilities but no "bathroom breaks," and the months to come in seriously over-crowded camps (Stalag 13-D at Nuremberg and Stalag 7-A at Moosburg), would surpass the suffering of the march. I am so grateful for the sacrifices my father made, and those made by men like him. I pray that there will always be those who are willing to do what is necessary to preserve the freedoms we too often take for granted!
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Trinity Students January 30, 2009

WE ARE FINISHED!! We walked over 60 miles, but we are now in Spremberg. Today, we started in Bad Muskau and saw the site of a glass factory and some other factories that sheltered the POWs. There was also a castle there. Our walk was much more dangerous than other days, because the road was very busy and Germans drive fast! Finally, there was a bike path and we could use that. Our feet hurt and we have blisters on our blisters, but it was worth it. My sister and I walked together for a lot of the way and we sang songs to keep us going. It also helped us to keep a good pace. I taught her "God is #1" and she liked it.

We will begin early tomorrow, because we want to visit some places the POWs stayed in Spremberg and the railroad station where they were loaded into boxcars. Then we will travel by bus to Dresden and finally Nuremberg.
I wish good skill to the Academic Teams as they compete this weekend!
Mrs. Maurer

To see pictures of Flat Stanley's adventures, click here
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And after a few days

Tuesday - I will work to spell everything correctly. We visited Belaria first thing this morning. Jacek, the director of the museum, has been incredible showing us around and getting things in order for us to march. Mariann Leary's father was held in Belaria which is located about 3 km from the main camp. No one knows exactly where the barracks were located or if the barns that now exist were where the men were held. The photos should give you an idea of what it was like. I will upload them later.

We also visited the Bismarck water tower that was build in the 1800s. Very cool. See the photo. From this tower we came back to the prison camp and visited East compound. This was primarily a British or RAF camp. It housed approximately 1600 prisoners. It was the first compound with fewer barracks. From there we walked west to Center compound. This is the site of block 43 (compound), combine (room) 7 that housed my Uncle Vernon Burda and Jim Keeffe. The rooms were called combines as they merged their food resources that were limited. The men were then able to have better nutrition although continually meager. We saw the kitchen, fire pool, and stood where our loved ones once stood.

Zagan, Poland was once Sagan, Germany. It was first mentioned in 1202. Today it is a town of 50,000 people on the Bobr River, a tributary of the Odra River in Silesia. Astronomer Johannes Kepler, had an observatory here. Today you can visit the library with books from the 1200s. Kepler was the man that said our orbit was elliptical. Interesting that today we know that he is right. Silesia's sandy soil is the resource for many brick and glass factories in the area.

This group is the first American group to complete this march. The British bring a contingent every year. January 18-19 a group of RAF completed the march. We don't know the details and will find out so we can compare to our march.

Last night we left the museum at 11:00 and headed for the gate at South Compound. It was a great hike unlike that of our family members. We made good time and completed the 9.73 miles by 2:30. Nine miles was relatively easy. Up relatively early, we left for Przewoz (Priebus in German). By the time we had marched a few kilometers into Itowa, visited a grade and middle school and hit the road, it was late. We are the first Americans to visit the school.

Wednesday - Prewoz. We finished our time on the road by 7PM and had completed 18.79 miles. It was grueling and sleep didn't come soon enough. I for one was very sore. Please remember that the South Compound had marched straight through to Bad Muscau with rest stops but no overnight stays. It is unimaginable to me how they could have done that, however those of us honoring our relatives are over 50. Considering that we have done quite well.

Thursday - Today, after visiting another school, we left Priebus and walked approximately 14 miles to Bad Muscau. Here the prisoners were held at several factories in and near the city. The prisoners were able to rest for 2-3 days dependent on the compound you called home at Luft III. Physically, it was a great day on roads near fields and forests. There was little traffic and perfect temperature. It was 30º F, no wind. I changed my shoes and was grateful. The POWs didn't have this option and many had inferior shoes and clothes. My "Great Coat" has been a blessing as have my wool pants, shirt and Eisenhower jacket.

Tomorrow we walk approximately 15 miles to Spremberg. The men were put in 40/8 train cars (40 men/8 horses) and were shipped south. We will go south by bus. We will finish our march and will head south.
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