Gerry Meyer, the Executive Director of the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward recently was the featured program at the Seward Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at noon at the Jones Bank Auditorium in Seward. Fellowship, a luncheon and short business meeting preceded his presentation to the Rotarians and guest.
Gerry Meyer, the Executive Director of the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward recently was the featured program at the Seward Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at noon at the Jones Bank Auditorium in Seward. Fellowship, a luncheon and short business meeting preceded his presentation to the Rotarians and guest.
Gerry Meyer and his wife Mary served as hosts of the tour to France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, following the liberation of the area, at the end of World War II. A group of 45 delegates-mostly from the Greater Seward area and Nebraska, represented the tour, created for the Nebraska National Guard Museum Historical Society by Executive Travel of Lincoln –Steve Glenn, tour host. The tour took place from July 15 through July 25 and featured a grand bus in route some 2000 miles – following the Liberation trail by the US troops, liberating France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany at the end of World War II from the German Nazi’s.
Meyer presented a detailed PowerPoint of the tour photos and covered each day of the tour and presented historical background to assist with the day’s events. The group visited both the Omaha Beach and Utah Beach sites and was housed in beautiful, air conditioned hotel facilities in Caen France, Montargis, France, Nancy France, Luxembourg, Luxembourg and Dusseldorf, Germany.
The group participated in three wreath laying ceremonies in the American Cemeteries of Colleville-sur-Mer, Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, and the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, as well as three wreath laying ceremonies in Saint Lo, France on Liberation day-July 18th. It was noted that the wreaths for all of the ceremonies were donated by Zabka/Perdue Funeral Home of Seward in honor of the veterans that lost their lives in WWII. The wreaths were all laid and presented by Seward’s WWII veteran representative, Ralph Hansen of Seward, assisted by various members of the delegation at each site.
Beautiful breakfasts, lunches and dinners were part of the tour and featured the ethnic foods of the area. The tour included paid tours of various museums at each site, including the Utah Beach museum in France and the Battle of the Bulge museum in Belgium. Numerous visits included winery tours, a beer tour in Germany, and visits to other Shoppe’s, restaurants and sites of interest throughout the travels. A special highlight were drives into the countryside, to see, first hand, the “hedgerows of France,” along with the vast fields of wheat, and grain crops. The tour also included visits to remote battle sites and small, quaint villages and battle memorials to the US troops that gave their lives in the World War II effort.
The tour celebrated the 75 th Anniversary of the Liberation of Saint Lo, France by the USA troops led by the Nebraska National Guard on July 18 th 1944 and the Nebraska Delegation was in attendance for the three site ceremony. There were 55 members of the Nebraska National Guard that lost their lives in Saint Lo, France’s liberation. The Seward Rotary and the Saint Lo, France Rotary developed a Sister Club relationship at a special joint Rotary Club meeting held on July 18th and the City of Seward and Saint Lo, France created a Sister City agreement as “Sister Cities in Freedom!” State Senator Mark Kolterman presented a special proclamation from the Governor and Jessica Kolterman of the Seward City Council presented Saint Lo, France with a Key to the City of Seward.
Also included on the tour was local National Guard historian Doug Hartman, author, sponsored by the Berry Law Firm of Lincoln. He relayed numerous historical presentations to prepare the group for the site they were about to view or experience.
Anne Fuldby-Olsen and Beth Nosal were coordinators of the tour through Executive Travel, with local tour guide Birgitta Guit of Paris, serving as the tour guide for the group for all ten days of the tour.
The presentation was a power point presentation, narrated by Gerry Meyer, featuring highlights of the tour. A questions and answer session followed. The group is considering another tour in 2020, with limited seating. Contact Gerry Meyer if interested in being part of the tour at the Nebraska National Guard End of World War II Tour in 2020.