Our final afternoon in Krakow began by going to a neighborhood to make pierogis. We took the train to the house and walked up a hill through the neighborhood. Once we arrived at the house, we were greeted by two Polish grandmas. We spent the next two hours making pierogis and enjoying a traditional Polish dinner. The dinner contained many shared dishes, plates full of pierogis, and more.

After dinner we got desserts in Old Town and walked around the beautiful area. Once we got back to the hotel, we hopped on Lime scooters and explored the entire city. We eventually traveled about five miles and saw many medieval squares and Renaissance castles. As we rode alongside the Vistula River, we spotted a green top of a church. We continued to chase it, crossed the bridge, and found the most beautiful church I have ever seen. This became our hidden gem: St. Joseph’s Cathedral.

I strolled throughout Normandy I regularly listened to Eisenhower’s famous speech before D-Day. As the YouTube video plays into my headphones, I imagine what each soldier was thinking. Powerful words pierce into my mind right away with “The eyes of the world are upon you.” Eisenhower goes on to emphasize the importance of others in the war such as the air offensive, home front, and previous operations that have turned the tide of the war. Eisenhower closes with the importance of the mission and wishes the soldier’s luck. As I crossed the English Channel and explored the beaches, the difficulties of the invasion were clear. The Channel is massive, and the beaches contained long runs, rugged cliffs, and an offensive nightmare. 

The disheartening nature of war was evident at our first cemetery stop. Thousands of graves, two bodies per each grave, covered with fallen German soldiers. I read each grave, carefully analyzing the ages and how many of the fallen were younger than me. This quickly changed my perspective on the war and overall feeling about the Germans. What were all these deaths for? Could they really have done anything different? What would I have done just two years ago in that situation? The graves removed the wide lens on war. I was not in a museum. I was not talking about strategy. I was at the graves of boys my age who died following orders. 

The next few days we visited the British Cemetery and the American Cemetery. My feelings of war quickly changed to very patriotic and proud. Several individual stories made it even more memorable such as reading about each medal of the honor recipients. My feelings for these men were much different. Rather than empathy and sorrow I felt pride and inspiration. My feelings visiting these graves puts a whole new twist on my feelings on war. War constantly challenges what is good versus evil, and often young men are the ones caught in the crossfire.  

As we traveled throughout London, my global insurance experience has applied to many aspects of World War II. Last summer I was fortunate enough to intern in Singapore for one month through Ohio State’s Fisher Global Consulting Program and combine my accounting and history majors. I worked in trade credit insurance and learned about insuring global trade. In this experience got to not only see Singapore’s logistical and economic power today, but also its dark history during World War II. Britain heavily invested into Singapore through its naval base and floating dock that would eventually fall into the hands of the Japanese Empire. The Japanese occupying Singapore is remembered as one of the darkest times in Singapore’s history. The Japanese implemented forced labor programs, brutal treatment, and executions of people with Chinese descent.  

In London it was fascinating to see the impact geography and logistics had on the war.  At the Imperial War Museum, I got to see the transportation vehicles and other various equipment used to logistically support the Allies. At the Churchill War Rooms, I got to see the complex, all-out effort of the Allies in their strategic efforts and planning to sustain the war. Our visit to Bletchley Park provided numerous examples of logistical impacts from using the cracked German codes to better position Allied assets, or even the transportation of information through motorcycle dispatch riders. This mass effort from Britain sustained their fight in World War II and significantly contributed to Allies victory. 

It fascinates me to see various logistical challenges get solved throughout the world leading to success in war, business, and an efficient world. My abroad experiences have been highly beneficial and inspiring to my future career aspirations in international business.

Attached: Photo taken in London and naval shipments into Singapore from the office I worked at