Friday, December 21, 2007

Battle of the Bulge Lives on in Memories, Emotions

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December 1944, Somewhere in "The Bulge." Down but not out: 101st Airborne Troops moving during attack near Bastogne, December 1944. Photo by USAMHI

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GIs slog it out during the harsh winter weather. Photo by USAMHI

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Tanks and Infantrymen of the 82nd Airborne Division, Company G, 740th Tank Battalion, 504th Regiment, push through the snow towards their objective in Belgium. (Image and description courtesy of the Truman Presidential Museum and Library)"

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(CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE) - The General's Christmas message to his troops. Photo by USAMHI

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The General said " NUTS!" Brigadier General, Anthony C. McAuliffe, the Division Artillery commander ,101st Division. Photo by USAMHI

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Carl Dalke, who served with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment during the Battle of the Bulge, called the first days of the campaign "gut wrenching." Photo by Ken White

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The U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Honor Guard prepares for a parade in Bastogne, Belgium, as part of Battle of the Bulge commemorations held Dec. 15, 2007. Photo by Ray Johnson

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A reenactor chows down while playing the role of an American soldier during Battle of the Bulge remembrances held Dec. 15-17, 2007, in Belgium. Photo by Ken White

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Belgian children play on a Sherman tank display during Battle of Bulge ceremonies in Bastogne, Belgium. Photo by Ken White

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Parachutists drop from a World War II C-47 Dakota during Battle of the Bulge ceremonies held in Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 15, 2007. Photo by Ken White

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Emotions begin to overcome Malmedy massacre survivor Ted Paluch after he presented a wreath to remember 84 U.S. soldiers executed in World War II. To Paluch’s right is Fabien Steffese, curator of the Baugneze 44 Historical Center, which recounts the tragedy. Photo by Ray Johnson

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Army Col. James Drago, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Benelux, and Marcel D’Haese, a veteran of the Belgian 5th Fusiliers, participate at a wreath-laying ceremony at McAuliffe Square in Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 16, 2007. Photo by J.D. Hardesty

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Ted Paluch (left), a survivor of the 1944 Malmedy massacre of 84 U.S. soldiers in Belgium, compares a photo taken of the scene then and how the area looks now. Photo by Ken White

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Malmédy Massacre survivor Ted Paluch glances down an embankment where he fled following the execution of 84 of his comrades on December 17, 1944. Photo by Ken White

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Ted Paluch, one of five remaining survivors of the Malmédy Massacre in December, 1944, relates his story during his visit to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the massacre, and dedicate a new museum to the occupation and defense of Malmédy, Belgium. Photo by Ken White

Face of Defense:

Marking the 63rd Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge

BASTOGNE, Belgium, Dec. 21, 2007 (AFPS) -- Standing next to the killing field where he once found himself face-down in the snow surrounded by the dead and dying, Ted Paluch said his return wasn’t as emotional as it once was, especially having visited three other times.

His resiliency and composure quickly crumbled, though, when asked to honor 84 U.S. soldiers murdered near Malmedy, Belgium, in World War II.

As the 85-year-old from Philadelphia gingerly stepped on the frozen turf -- the ground as hard as it was 63 years ago when he served with 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion -- Paluch’s eyes brimmed with tears. Clutching a wreath and almost whispering to himself, he said: “One of my guys was found here, in this exact spot. I wish he was standing next to me now instead.”

Similar sentiments were heard 50 miles away in Bastogne, a Belgian city forever linked with the massive World War II campaign officially tagged Battle of Ardennes, but better known as the Battle of the Bulge.

Invited to the dedication of the Baugnex 44 Historical Center, a museum that recounts American prisoners of war being executed in 1944 by a German SS Panzer unit, Paluch was one of several hundred veterans and current soldiers who commemorated Battle of the Bulge ceremonies Dec. 15-17.

The 30th Bastogne Historic Walk, which paid tribute to 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, kicked off three days of remembrance. Roughly 3,000 participants, including 900 U.S. servicemembers, marched along the outskirts of Bastogne and through the villages of Hemroulle, Champs and Longchamps, where the “Five-Oh-Deuce” fought and bled.

Following a narrow road reduced to muck in places, marchers went past grasslands and thick forests. It is here where great tank battles took place in the open, while hand-to-hand combat spilled from one foxhole to another.

Carl Dalke, 82, who served with the 101st Airborne Division’s 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, recalls the first 24 hours of the fight as being the toughest, with his unit surrounded and trapped in arctic-like conditions. He labeled it “gut wrenching,” especially when his best friend died -- one of 19,000 Americans killed, along with another almost 60,000 injured.

“But at no time did we ever think that we would lose, … even though we were outnumbered seven to one,” said Dalke, outfitted in 1940s-era military clothing and sporting several rows of medals, including a Bronze Star.

At a small memorial hugging the road, Dalke, like Paluch, laid a wreath to personally recognize those who didn’t survive the costly monthlong struggle.

Along the walk, marchers passed by several such memorials and realistic scenes of uniformed reenactors digging foxholes, stealing through the woods, manning crossroads and driving authentic vehicles of that era. Adding to the setting were 22 parachutists jumping from a C-47 Dakota transporter.

Later in the day, a formal wreath-laying ceremony was held in Bastogne’s McAuliffe Square, named after Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, who famously replied “Nuts!” when asked to surrender by the Germans. Prior to the ceremony, the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Honor Guard led a parade formed by dignitaries, beret-wearing veterans, Belgian troops, and soldiers from USAG Benelux and USAG Brussels. Also included in the mix were school-age children carrying flags of every U.S. state.

The procession, with a sidewalk-lined crowd tagging along, made its way from downtown to a small park and monument dedicated to Gen. George S. Patton, commander of the 3rd Army, which relieved besieged 101st Airborne Division forces. Afterward, the parade returned to McAuliffe Square, where U.S. and Belgian officials, military leaders and Battle of the Bulge survivors remembered those who fell.

Army Col. James Drago, commander of USAG Benelux, joined Marcel D’Haese, of the Belgian 5th Fusiliers, which fought alongside the Allies, in presenting a wreath. Drago, a veteran of operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, called the moment “truly amazing.”

“The amount of energy that the Bastogne community expends to show their heartfelt appreciation each year reminds us all of the awesome sacrifices our soldiers made in that cold winter of 1944-1945,” the colonel said. “Knowing that people from around the world participate in such large numbers annually confirms just how important these sacrifices were.”

(Story by Ray Johnson, U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Europe Region, Public Affairs Office.)

Related: Army Leaders Retrace Battle of the Bulge on 63rd Anniversary

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