I have in recent weeks been taking quite a few small and large groups from all over the world on my author tours to Bastogne and America’s World War II cemeteries. Here I am taking some time out to pose for a selfie at Augusta Chiwy’s final resting place in the Bastogne cemetery, just opposite the barracks where McAuliffe had his underground headquarters during the siege. Together with Renée Lemaire, this remarkable black Belgian nurse risked her life caring for the wounded American defenders of her town. Unlike Renée, who died during a German air raid on Christmas Eve, Augusta survived the battle. She continued her life unknown and unappreciated until portrayed just briefly in the series Band of Brothers. That catapulted her to fame very late in life. When she passed away in 2015, Augusta received a burial ceremony in Bastogne with full military honors from both Belgian and American delegations.
