Drennan Visits World War II Sites in Europe – Dave Drennan celebrated his retirement earlier this year by taking a trip to Europe with his wife in July 2024.
He retired as the executive director of the St. Louis Association of Health Underwriters and the Missouri Association of Health Underwriters earlier this year. He and his wife, Karen, started their trip in Paris to see landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and the Seine River. However, the majority of their trip was spent with a tour group that visited infamous World War II sites in Europe. They started out by staying four nights in Caen, France.
“We got to visit the five landing beaches of D-Day, and that was one of the most impactful experiences of the trip,” Drennan said. “Most people don’t realize just how long that coastline is, and it was overwhelming to think about the soldiers and the obstacles they faced there. The amount of coordination and effort they had to possess to overcome the challenges of those beaches was impressive to think about.”
Drennan also learned about the impact that World War II had on the region's agricultural industry.
“Normandy is a very big agricultural area, and you can still see the bomb craters in the fields there,” Drennan said. “Farmers had to pick up all the shrapnel and metal left behind from the battles and try to reclaim the land to grow agricultural commodities. It was intriguing to think about what it must have been like for those farmers after the war was over.”
Next, their tour took them to Bastogne, France, where they spent three nights.
“Our guide was 88 years old, and he was nine years old when the Germans occupied Bastogne,” Drennan said. “He remembered the day an artillery shell killed his father, and he told us so many stories about that time. It was incredible to hear his personal stories and gain that insight.”
They also visited the Eagle’s Nest in the Alps, which was Adolf Hitler’s personal retreat location.
“The Nazis had built this place for Hitler as a birthday present, and it was very intricate,” Drennan said. “Some of the higher-ranking Nazis had homes in the areas that were all connected to the Eagle’s Nest by a tunnel system built by slave labor. It was very clear to see that the higher-ranking Nazis only took care of themselves and their families.”
Drennan was impacted by his trip, and it is something he will never forget.
“It was eye-opening to truly see what the Allied forces overcame to win that war,” Drennan said. “There were battles and situations that could have gone either way, and it could have changed not only the outcome of the war but the entire world. Fortunately, it fell in favor of the Allies, and it needs to be honored and remembered.”
