Thursday September 4, 1930

The pilgrims left Verdun for the last time, departing at 9:15, to return for one final visit to the cemetery.  The pilgrims would have lunch at the cemetery and would depart the Meuse Argonne Cemetery at 2 pm.

On this last drive from Verdun to the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, did the army escorts just leave the pilgrims alone in their thoughts?

Did Josephine think:  “My final visit to the cemetery”?

How did each mother and widow say her last goodbye to her loved one?  How very difficult it must have been.  The farewell scene at so many grave sites must have been heart rending. 

Did Josephine and other mothers and widows ask the caretaker to watch over the grave of their sons? 

As Josephine walked away from Buddy’s grave to board the bus, did she cast one last, loving glance over her shoulder at the lovely spot where Buddy slept in peace, knowing that she would never see her son’s grave again? 

Row after row of poppies bordered the walks and the grounds which surround the graves.    Did Josephine pick some poppies to take home as a pressed souvenir?

As the bus pulled out of the cemetery for the last time, did her eyes linger over the rows and rows  of white crosses? 

Did the visit give her a sense of peace?   Did it provide healing to her grieving heart?

I have a picture of a mournful mother sitting in a chair beside a cross.  This person at one time was thought to be a picture of Josephine at Buddy’s grave.  When I first saw this picture years ago,  I thought I saw a resemblance to my mother in Josephine’s face.

Several years later I came across the picture of Josephine standing by Buddy’s grave posted on a family genealogy website.  It is definitely Josephine standing behind Buddy’s cross – his name is clearly visible on the cross.

When I compare the faces of the women in the two pictures, I don’t think that they are the same person. The name on the cross in the picture of the woman sitting at the grave is covered by flowers, and the small number at the bottom of the cross which indicates the grave number is unreadable so it is impossible to identify the grave as Buddy’s grave.

The picture of the woman sitting in the chair is in the possession of one of Josephine’s granddaughters.  It is a very small picture. I am now wondering if the woman sitting in the chair is Mrs. Elodie Duhon, Josephine’s roommate.  She and Josephine maintained communication after the pilgrimage.  Perhaps Mrs. Duhon gave Josephine a copy of the photo of her at her husband’s grave.

The picture of the woman sitting at the grave mourning her son is so sad to see.  It could be the picture of any mother or widow Josephine traveled with to France as a member of Party R on the Gold Star Mothers and Widows Pilgrimage.  Indeed, it could be the picture of any mother or widow who has a son or husband buried in that place of quiet beauty, the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.

Perhaps on this last day at Buddy’s grave, Josephine is asking us, using the words of a Catholic hymn she may have sung every Lenten season of her life:

“O come and mourn with me a while.”

We do, Josephine, we do.

Rest in peace, Joseph M. “Buddy” Blanchard, rest in God’s eternal peace.

Note: None of Buddy’s family, except for Josephine, has ever visited his grave. The descendants of Joseph and Josephine are eternally grateful to a young man from Belgium, Nick Lieten, who in the year 2016 adopted Buddy’s grave and has visited it more than once and has placed flowers on it more than once.  Thank you, Nick!

At the end of this final cemetery visit, the pilgrims began a leisurely two-day trip back to Paris.
At 2 pm, the pilgrims departed the cemetery and headed towards Suippes.  This afternoon would be filled with sights of various World War I places the pilgrims had heard about.  Lieut. Yarborough gave the pilgrims a history lesson as they visited the sites.  The sites that they saw were where the hardest struggles of the war had taken place.  They drove through the hottest part of the battle’s firing line. The countryside was still torn up. The Argonne Forest resembled a dense jungle with high mountains.

Some of the fields they passed had been re-cultivated, but many of the fields had suffered such severe shock from the shells and gunpowder that the land would never again be fertile.  In those sections the dugouts and trenches remained just as they had been in the days of the war.
 
The group saw the place where the prince of Bavaria was staying until he came under attack on September 26, 1918.  The prince had been living lavishly there.  His house was a complete bungalow, well fortified – built of concrete, slate roof, concrete blocks over the roof, and the roof covered with ferns and moss.The prince had planned an elaborate dinner for the evening of September 26, 1918.

But on that date the U.S. 1st Army and the French 4th Army began a joint offense to clear out the strongly defended corridor between the Meuse River and the Argonne Forest.  General John Pershing, in command of an army of 100,000 officers and men, with an equipment of guns and airplanes, attacked the seemingly impregnable German sector lying between the Argonne Forest and the River Meuse. 

The crown prince tried to escape.  One mother asked Lieut. Yarborough, “What did he do with his piano and Oriental rugs?”  Lieut. Yarborough smiled and said, “They were not bothering him now.  All he wanted was to save  his neck.” 

The pilgrims arrived at Suippes in late afternoon and had a brief rest stop at the Hotel Champagne.  During the war, the American 42nd division near Suippes bore the brunt of a violent onslaught and had 1,200 officers and men wounded and gassed.  Over 400 were killed.  Five thousand American men took part in this battle.

Then it was on to Reims.  The group reached Reims around 7:30 pm, stopping at the Hotel Crystal, their quarters for the night.  This hotel was built perfectly square with outside entrances and winding staircases.  It had elevators that were operated by the passengers themselves.  Most of the mothers climbed the steps, afraid to risk themselves as elevator operators!

Was Josephine a risk taker?  Did she get on the elevator and operate it herself?

The pilgrims had to come out and walk down the street to the dining room, going through a long corridor, climbing a flight of stairs.  It was a thrill for them to see the American flag just a bit higher than the other two flags on either side of it.

After dinner, Josephine retired to her hotel room, ready for a good night’s sleep.




Source: written by Carolyn Ourso