MUDEC students help commemorate 80th anniversary of liberation of Luxembourg
Menard Family Center’s Civic Internship Program focuses on semester-long project
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Published
Miami University students studying in Luxembourg participated in a semester-long project as part of the Menard Family Center for Democracy Civic Internship Program.
MUDEC students help commemorate 80th anniversary of liberation of Luxembourg
•
Published
While doing research for this year’s Menard Family Center for Democracy Civic Internship Program project at the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC), Annabel Cunningham happened upon the story of Sgt. Albert D. Dian, a soldier from Cleveland who was on the front lines of World War II.
Cunningham, a junior from Philadelphia with a double major in History and Italian and a minor in Political Science, learned about Dian, and other soldiers like him, as part of a cohort of six Miami undergraduates studying at Miami’s Luxembourg campus. The group was tasked with exploring how Europeans are commemorating the 80th anniversary of the continent’s liberation from Nazi occupation in 1944-45 and what those commemorations say about Europeans’ current notions of democracy, liberation, and self-determination.
To do that, Cunningham and classmates looked to the past and for stories like those of Dian, who took shelter in a potato cellar before coming across a Luxembourgish family on Christmas Day. Dian had with him small trinkets his sister had mailed to him, and he in turn gave them to a small child with the family.
Stories like that humanized the war, Cunningham said. There were large countries fighting these battles, but each army was made up of individuals with their own stories to tell.
Cunningham related Dian’s story during the Luxembourg city of Ettelbruck’s official commemoration of the anniversary of the city’s liberation as part of the Civic Internship Program’s semester-long project, which annually explores a civics or history-related problem or issue.
“It is such a unique and valuable experience to be part of something much bigger than yourself, your state, or even country,” Cunningham said.
As part of the project, Cunningham and classmates Kirsten Osteboe, Raquel Hirsch, Ava Hunt, Jaide Collins, and Chelsea Campbell worked with the General Patton Museum in Ettelbruck to curate stories representing the point of view of U.S. soldiers. They then condensed those stories into 2-minute speeches that were shared during the Ettelbruck ceremony at Patton Square.
The Patton Museum provided the Miami students with information as well as the opportunity for a roundtable discussion with Benjamin Patton, grandson of George S. Patton, the museum’s namesake, along with several war veterans.
“It was very much an honor to be included in the commemoration event in Ettelbruck,” said Hirsch, a junior from Chicago studying Political Science and Journalism. “As students, we were surrounded by diplomats, decorated war veterans, government officials, and many others who had a more direct connection to World War II.
“It was very powerful to use our research to honor those who served our home country and liberated the country we have the privilege of studying in.”
Along with the ceremony in Ettelbruck, the civic interns also traveled to Riga, Latvia, where they explored how that Baltic nation also experienced Nazi occupation, which was soon followed by an extended Soviet occupation. While in Riga, they visited historic sites and met with museum curators.
“We took them to Riga, Latvia, for comparison, because Latvia had a very different experience,” said John Forren, executive director of the Menard Family Center for Democracy. “The learning opportunities that these kinds of experiences provide are really exceptional in the sense there is a depth and intensity that is hard to replicate in the classroom. Some of these experiences, such as speaking at the ceremony in Ettelbruck, I am fairly confident is something they will remember 30 years after college.”
Forren said the group will also have the chance to present their experience during a conference in the spring.
Osteboe, a junior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, majoring in Diplomacy and Global Politics, called the experience “eye-opening.”
“Participating in this internship has been a once-in-lifetime experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” Osteboe said. “Not only with the things I learned but with what I observed in both cities and the importance, the responsibility to keep the lessons of history alive and to continue to remember the people whose lives were lost.”
Studying in Luxembourg has been a valuable experience for Cunningham. “Being able to immerse yourself in another country teaches you so much about the world, and also yourself. The experience of traveling around Europe is one that I will cherish forever, as I have been able to explore things I'd only heard about in classes before.”
The students also took part in the dedication of a new monument at Ettelbruck and a Q-and-A session with members of the Patton family and leaders of veteran organizations. This was in addition to playing a central role in the planning and execution of the ceremony, which was covered on Luxembourg’s national news.
Forren said there may be additional opportunities for Miami students to work with the Patton Museum, thanks to the success of this project.
“These sorts of things are classic win-win types of situations,” Forren said. “We’re contributing to the public knowledge and doing the sorts of things universities do.”
Cunningham, a junior from Philadelphia with a double major in History and Italian and a minor in Political Science, learned about Dian, and other soldiers like him, as part of a cohort of six Miami undergraduates studying at Miami’s Luxembourg campus. The group was tasked with exploring how Europeans are commemorating the 80th anniversary of the continent’s liberation from Nazi occupation in 1944-45 and what those commemorations say about Europeans’ current notions of democracy, liberation, and self-determination.
To do that, Cunningham and classmates looked to the past and for stories like those of Dian, who took shelter in a potato cellar before coming across a Luxembourgish family on Christmas Day. Dian had with him small trinkets his sister had mailed to him, and he in turn gave them to a small child with the family.
Stories like that humanized the war, Cunningham said. There were large countries fighting these battles, but each army was made up of individuals with their own stories to tell.
Cunningham related Dian’s story during the Luxembourg city of Ettelbruck’s official commemoration of the anniversary of the city’s liberation as part of the Civic Internship Program’s semester-long project, which annually explores a civics or history-related problem or issue.
“It is such a unique and valuable experience to be part of something much bigger than yourself, your state, or even country,” Cunningham said.
As part of the project, Cunningham and classmates Kirsten Osteboe, Raquel Hirsch, Ava Hunt, Jaide Collins, and Chelsea Campbell worked with the General Patton Museum in Ettelbruck to curate stories representing the point of view of U.S. soldiers. They then condensed those stories into 2-minute speeches that were shared during the Ettelbruck ceremony at Patton Square.
The Patton Museum provided the Miami students with information as well as the opportunity for a roundtable discussion with Benjamin Patton, grandson of George S. Patton, the museum’s namesake, along with several war veterans.
“It was very much an honor to be included in the commemoration event in Ettelbruck,” said Hirsch, a junior from Chicago studying Political Science and Journalism. “As students, we were surrounded by diplomats, decorated war veterans, government officials, and many others who had a more direct connection to World War II.
“It was very powerful to use our research to honor those who served our home country and liberated the country we have the privilege of studying in.”
Along with the ceremony in Ettelbruck, the civic interns also traveled to Riga, Latvia, where they explored how that Baltic nation also experienced Nazi occupation, which was soon followed by an extended Soviet occupation. While in Riga, they visited historic sites and met with museum curators.
“We took them to Riga, Latvia, for comparison, because Latvia had a very different experience,” said John Forren, executive director of the Menard Family Center for Democracy. “The learning opportunities that these kinds of experiences provide are really exceptional in the sense there is a depth and intensity that is hard to replicate in the classroom. Some of these experiences, such as speaking at the ceremony in Ettelbruck, I am fairly confident is something they will remember 30 years after college.”
Forren said the group will also have the chance to present their experience during a conference in the spring.
Osteboe, a junior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, majoring in Diplomacy and Global Politics, called the experience “eye-opening.”
“Participating in this internship has been a once-in-lifetime experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” Osteboe said. “Not only with the things I learned but with what I observed in both cities and the importance, the responsibility to keep the lessons of history alive and to continue to remember the people whose lives were lost.”
Studying in Luxembourg has been a valuable experience for Cunningham. “Being able to immerse yourself in another country teaches you so much about the world, and also yourself. The experience of traveling around Europe is one that I will cherish forever, as I have been able to explore things I'd only heard about in classes before.”
The students also took part in the dedication of a new monument at Ettelbruck and a Q-and-A session with members of the Patton family and leaders of veteran organizations. This was in addition to playing a central role in the planning and execution of the ceremony, which was covered on Luxembourg’s national news.
Forren said there may be additional opportunities for Miami students to work with the Patton Museum, thanks to the success of this project.
“These sorts of things are classic win-win types of situations,” Forren said. “We’re contributing to the public knowledge and doing the sorts of things universities do.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg. Interested in learning more about the Menard Family Center for Democracy? Visit their website for more information.
