Veterans Get International Thanks For Service At Bulge
(December 23, 2009) | 
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Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 16,
2009, the 65th anniversary of the start of the battle. |
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WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 17,
2009) -- On the 65th anniversary of the Battle
of the Bulge, veterans of that conflict were
recognized by the countries whose freedom they
helped secure.
On Dec. 16, 1944, the Germans launched an
offensive through the Ardennes Mountains region
of Belgium, France and Luxembourg. More than
800,000 American Soldiers fought back, and
became participants in the largest single battle
in U.S. Army history. After nine days of
fighting, and nearly 90,000 casualties, American
Soldiers had kept Germany from reaching its
goal: capturing Antwerp, Belgium, and putting
themselves in a position to force Allies into a
peace treaty favorable to the Axis.
More than 60 veterans from the Battle of the
Bulge came to Washington, D.C., to commemorate
the 65th anniversary of the battle. The veterans
visited the White House, the Embassy of
Luxembourg and the residence of the Belgian
Ambassador.
On Dec. 16 -- the 65th anniversary of the start
of the battle -- the former Soldiers gathered at
Fort |
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Myer, Va., to watch a presentation by Soldiers
of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old
Guard). There, Belgian Minister of Defense,
Pieter De Crem, addressed the veterans, and
conveyed to them the gratitude of his country. |
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"To all of you here present, to those who came over the ocean, young men and
women, to rescue us -- to those who were in the Ardennes, and in the Battle of
the Bulge, in those terrible circumstances -- I want to express before you our
profound respect and thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their
extraordinary engagement," De Crem said. "We owe you our liberty."
The minister went on to say the friendship between his nation and the United
States would be enduring.
"Long live our common determination for the protection of our shared values," he
said. "Long live our deep and everlasting friendship between the United States
of America and the Kingdom of Belgium."
Nicolas Mackel, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of the Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg, also spoke to the veterans, saying his countrymen are aware of the
sacrifices so many young Americans made during World War II to protect freedom
in Europe.
"I have grown up being taught by my parents, by my grandparents, by my school
teachers, about young, brave Americans who had to set aside their daily lives to
come and liberate our country," Mackel said. "Like all Luxembourgers, I know
that too many of your comrades did not make it back to their loved ones and were
deprived of living out their dreams."
Mackel said the memory of what Americans did in Europe during World War II, and
especially at the Battle of the Bulge, would not be forgotten by Luxembourgers.
"Like your resilience 65 years ago in the face of enemy power did not falter,
our dedication to the memory of your deeds has not faltered since -- and it
never will," Mackel said. "By holding out in those foxholes in the coldest of
winters, you contributed decisively to bring about the final defeat of the Nazi
ideology. You thus helped to bring back freedom and liberty to a whole. For
this, as a Luxembourger, and in my own name, I would like to thank you very
much."
Darrell B. Carter, of Glenn Allen, Calif., served as part of the 99th Infantry
Division at the Battle of the Bulge. He said he was impressed with the
performance of the Old Guard.
"I appreciate it, and I'm a little surprised at the detail of that performance
we saw," he said. He also said he was impressed by the gratitude expressed by
both the Belgian and Luxembourgian representatives.
"I certainly appreciate that," he said. "They were the object of the attack,
certainly, and we were in the way."
Al Rosenzweig, a veteran who served with the 78th Infantry Division at the
Battle of the Bulge, was also impressed with the international recognition of
his service.
"They were nice to us, the people in Luxembourg and the people in Belgium,"
Rosenzweig said. "I think it's a wonderful thing. The people in Belgium and
Luxembourg will always be friends of the United States."
Rosenzweig was just 18 when he served in Europe as part of the force that helped
defeat the Nazis at the Battle of the Bulge. He remembers that the battle was a
surprise to all of them.
"At the time of the battle we were in a little town called Rotgen; we were the
only division in Germany," Rosenzweig said. "We relieved the 8th division in the
Hurtgen Forest -- that was on the extreme flank of the bulge. We had been in
position about five days to a week when the bulge hit. We were told when we went
into the sector that it was all quiet and that nothing was going on and
everything has been secure up until this point -- and then all hell broke loose
after that."
As part of his combat experience, Rosenzweig said he suffered only from the
extreme cold -- something he still feels today.
"We were undersupplied at the time, and we didn't expect the weather to be like
it was. I had no overshoes. I got frozen feet and frozen hands -- that was about
the worst of my injuries, still feeling them -- twisted hands and feet," he
said, showing his bent fingers. "But I'm alive and we have a lot of our beloved
veterans here."
Rosenzweig said he's been participating in veteran reunions since the end of the
war.
Following the presentation at Fort Myer, the World War II veterans traveled to
nearby Arlington National Cemetery, where De Crem and Mackel laid a wreath at
the Tomb of the Unknowns. The old Soldiers themselves also laid a wreath there,
and then traveled on to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. | |
Article and photo by C. Todd Lopez
Copyright 2009
Reprinted from
Army News Service
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