The excursion to the World War I memorial and museum in Verdun, France was an eye opening one. First we went to the exhibit, where I was most interested in what medicine looked like during World War I. I learned that the triage system of care was something that was largely adapted during the war as a way to prioritize the soldiers who had the most serious injuries. This system was important for the time during the war, especially because of the limited amount of resources available on the battlefield and the triage system is still used in hospital emergency rooms today. The photo to the right was taken during the short drive from the WWI museum to the memorial, when I commented on the strangeness of the hilly forest floor. A classmate responded by mentioning that the small hills were caused by grenades in no-man's-land during the war. I was shocked by the disconnect that has accompanied most of my historical education and this experience allowed me to fully appreciate that we were learning history through actually experiencing its landscape, an experience that can never be forgotten. |