Bastogne

One town that saw more than it's share of the war was Bastogne. It was at the center of the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler's last major attempt to stop the push toward Berlin by allied troops who had invaded Normandy that summer. The battle started on December 16th, 1944. It would end just over a month later with both sides losing an unimaginable number of men. The Germans lost decisively, but managed to fight on for a while longer.The Battle of the Bulge helped to accelerate the end of the war. It was the last major German offensive, for the rest of the war the Germans were on the defensive.

 Most people know it was cold, but I know that only those who served there will ever know how cold it was. Bitter cold by all accounts and one of the worst winters on record for snowfall. Many of the soldiers were called to the front so quickly they had no proper clothing, very little ammunition, and even fewer rations. I think that I'll trust those who served. One of the soldiers who served in Easy Company, 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, said in an interview that on winter nights when he looks outside he tells his wife,"I'm glad I'm not in Bastogne." It was amazing that they lasted a month in that frozen hell and that they were able to repulse the Germans. As I mentioned earlier 81000 Americans were killed, wounded, or missing.

Today, Bastogne is a lively little town. It's center is filled with lot's of little pubs, restuarants and shops. The day we were there it was Armed Forces Appreciation Day. Only one American Colonel was present, no doubt due to our preoccupation with another war. Mostly it was Belgian soldiers and former soldiers. Lots of people hiked in a march from the memorial to the town center. I mean LOTS of people!! Mostly middle aged people. In thinking about it know it is disappointing that there weren't any youth present. Oh, they were present. We saw many young men and women hanging out at a local club when we sat down for dinner. To be fair they may be inundated with the history and signifigance. Perhaps they are too young to care. That would be to bad. They will be the ones to carry on the memory of what happened.

The people of Bastogne have done a lot to memorialize the American troops who freed them. There is a Sherman tank placed prominently on the edge of the town square, alongside a bust of General Anthony McAuliffe, the commander of the 101st Airborne Division, the unit that held Bastogne. When asked by the German general to surrender he wrote the following:

To the German Commander:

NUTS!!!!

That is his exact reply. Merry F'in Christmas Jerry!!!!

So, his bust is placed prominently in the town. Along the roads there are markers painted red, white, and  blue with the word Liberty on them. There are two museums. One in the town not far from the center and one adjacent to the memorial. Both do a great job of telling the story of Bastogne. You would never know around town that it had been at the center of a maelstrom during the winter of 44-45. You would think it odd that throughout town there are turrets of many Sherman tanks and stores carrying memorabilia of the 101st.

The memorial is absolutely stunning!!!! Stunning is  not adequate to describe it. It is a five point star that points in all the directions of the major army units and engagements. Along it's top are the names of all the American States during World War II, and on the sides are listed all major American military units engaged during the Battle of the Bulge. Inside on the walls there are nine panels detailing the battle and they tell an amazing story of courage, bravery, and resolve. Outside of the memorial is a crypt dedicated to the major religions with a beautiful mosaic.

There is a stone at the center of the memorial in Latin that reads:

LIBERATORIBVS

AMERICANIS

POPVLVS BELGICVS

MEMOR

IV.VII.MCMXLVI

 

Translated it means: The Belgian people remember their American liberators – 4th July 1946

 

There are literally hundreds of memorials dotting the countryside. We found one at a castle in Vianden. We took a road across from the castle. On a scenic overlook above it was a tribute to an engineering battalion that defended what was left of the town surrounding the castle.

 

What I took away from my visit is that there are at least two entire nations that feel a special bond for America and its people, and that hold a special love and admiration for what our soldiers did for them. They acknowledge a debt that can never be repaid, one that is not required to be repaid because it is not theirs to do so. But they try anyway and we owe them our thanks as well for the manner in which they remember what our loved ones did. I just wish more Americans could/would visit and realize the wonderful reputation that we earned means more than our wealth and prosperity. You can buy any worldly good made by man, but it would be worth nothing compared to the honor and respect our ancestors earned over a half a century ago. We owe it to that generation to hold on to that honor and not tarnish it's luster by being foolhardy when it comes to how we behave with the world today.