Feel free to message me at : john@sterkendries.cc
Doughboy Foundation - first trip - first story
Doughboy Foundation - first trip - first story
Doughboy Foundation - first trip - first story
Doughboy Foundation - first trip - first story
Dave S. took custody of the statue and is planning on making a trip to Michigan with Kandy (his wife) to place the statue on Kandy’s Grandfathers grave, he served in the Army during WW1 in Europe.
if I am near this veteran's grave somewhere at the end of my trip (Michigan, in the north of the USA) I will visit this veteran's grave. Thank you Dave en Kandy, God bless.
HOG Chapter Fort Lauderdale
Houston National Cemetery
Battleship USS ALABAMA
Texas Military Forces Camp Mabry Austin
During my journeys around Allegheny County, I made a brief stop in a small town called
Glassport, PA. I was amazed to see that every lamppost in the town had a picture of
a U.S. soldier attached to it.
This kind of deep respect for veterans is something that is unheard of in Belgium.
Intrigued by this sight, I felt compelled to learn more. I discovered a memorial site nearby
and decided to visit it.
There, I approached an elderly gentleman who was sitting outside and inquired about the
significance of the images.
He kindly explained to me the important work carried out by the American Legion in support
of veterans.
In that moment, I realized that I wanted to contribute more than just aimlessly riding
my motorcycle, as I had originally planned. Even when I returned to my home country,
the thought lingered in my mind.
Around the same time, there was an exhibition in Ypres, Belgium, showcasing the
"Coming World Remember Me" statues.
Each of these 600,000 statues symbolized a victim of the devastating First World War (1914-1918).
This statue was donated by Jaak,
an acquaintance of our family.
The new home for Jaak's statuette is
now the American Legion Post 443
in Glassport.
Where it represents a fallen American soldier
in Belgium of WW1.
After one of my numerous trips to Ypres, where I visited the monuments, I became certain of
what I needed to do. I firmly believed that these precious works of art should find a place in
the United States as well, not limited to Belgium alone.
Thus, my mission was born. I resolved to search for locations, monuments, and individuals in the
United States connected to World War I, to whom I could gift one of these statues.
The idea for this grand journey across America originated in Glassport. That's why, in May 2023,
I donated a statue to the Glassport Post as a token of my appreciation.
I made a pedestal for the statue from a granite paving stone that the Romans used 2000 years
ago to make streets from Rome to our city to spread their troops across Europe.
