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Christmas During the Battle of the Bulge

On December 16, 1944, German forces surprised American soldiers in the densely forested Ardennes region of Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, with a massive offensive also known as the Battle of the Bulge, or the Ardennes Counteroffensive. Germany pushed through an Allied line, creating a bulge in the Allied defensive lines. The deadly battle, which lasted until January 25, 1945, was the largest on the European western front during WWII and resulted in an estimated 1 in 10 American combat casualties during the entire war. It also meant that thousands of soldiers spent Christmas 1944 in temperatures that hovered around zero, in knee-deep snow, and with limited rations for Christmas dinner. On the home front, their families spent a nervous holiday season, waiting for word of their loved ones.

Cpl. Frank D. Vari spent Christmas Eve huddled in a foxhole as shells exploded around him all night long. “We could hear their guns going off and the shells landing at the same time. They were close. They almost surrounded the whole place. I remember Christmas Day. I got up, and we had a real bad night, with artillery and everything. The first thing I saw was the steeple of a church down in the valley. It was a beautiful day, the sun was just coming up over a little village at the bottom.” The clear skies allowed US planes to reinforce soldiers along the front. The break in the weather saved Vari’s unit.

Sgt. Metro Sikorsky woke up Christmas Day 1944 in a bombed-out building. He was 25-years-old and serving in Company B, 17th Tank Battalion of the 7th Armored Division. It was his first time away from home in Pennsylvania. All around were the bodies of the frozen and his job included picking up the dead. He said it was so cold that when a soldier died, in a short time the body froze where it lay. There were no presents and no Christmas dinner, but Sikorsky felt lucky to be alive. It was so cold that soldiers cut blankets into strips and wound them around their frozen feet.

Tech Sgt. Maurice Glenn Hughs remembered the terrible winter conditions during the battle. “Hundreds of people lost their feet because they were frozen,” he said. Hughs was hospitalized after the battle and doctors in Paris told him that his feet would need to be amputated. “My legs were painted up to my knees to be amputated. And then the doctors checked and said they wouldn’t have to be,” said Hughs.

Mattie Dickenson of Georgetown, Louisiana, remembered Christmas 1944 as a difficult one. She anxiously waited for news from her husband Benjamin F. Dickenson. Benjamin was drafted when he was 38-years-old and found himself fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. “I do remember that was the saddest Christmas I ever spent. For 21 days I didn’t know if he was dead or alive,” said Mattie. Though Benjamin was wounded, he made it home alive. Mattie kept a piece of the parachute that dropped supplies to her husband at Bastogne.

Soldiers from the Third United States Army carried a printed copy of Gen. George Patton’s Christmas Prayer of 1944. Patton had a copy distributed to each soldier before the battle. It petitioned the heavens for good weather and concluded with a Christmas greeting from the General. It read, “To each officer and soldier in the Third United States Army, I wish a Merry Christmas. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We march in our might to complete the victory. May God’s blessings rest upon each of you on this Christmas Day.”  

The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler’s last major offensive along the Western Front. Within a month Allied forces pushed the Germans back and closed the bulge. The battle was called “the greatest American battle of the war” by Winston Churchill and it crushed Germany’s hopes for ultimate success in the war. To learn more about the Battle of the Bulge and soldiers who fought in it, search Fold3 today!

270 Comments

  1. noel gilliam says:

    My Uncle, James Frantz Schuirmann was killed Feb. 8, 1945 during the Battle of The Bulge. Part of our family came to the US in the 1880’s from Luxembourg.
    Such a young kid. Every time I hear about the conditions he went through, I just want to cry.

  2. GOD bless us all. American soldier’s are one of a kind! Merry Christmas 2019! ONELOVE for all the soldier’s that passed away! Peace be still! United we stand, together we fall!

  3. Richard Purdee says:

    While stationed at Baumholder, Germany, 1/1954 till 1/1956, I visited this site with a fellow GI, Jim Perry, from Florida. We were amazed at how the Belgian people honored our troops. This site was immaculate. Every GI that had lost their lives are forever engraved on a massive star, with every 48 states included. We also visited other memorials to a fallen. Our European allies keep great care for our lost men. I thank those that still care.

  4. Larry Holman says:

    I understand that my father, Clarence Woodford Holman, was a paratrooper machine-gunner and entered the war in the European theater about the time of the Battle of the Bulge. He said he fought there. He would have been about 24 years old at the time. He died 58 years later at age 81. He never wanted to talk much about it. He lost his assistant machine gunner there. He hated cold weather the rest of his life. That experience created in him some invisible wounds that would torment him all of his life. He said that he was no hero, that all the heroes never made it back, that he did what he had to, to get back home to my mother and us children.

  5. Denise Wilson Meyers says:

    Is there any way to access information on U.S. military activity in Austria from 1942-1945? My father, Charles Donald Wilson, PFC was stationed there with the 16thn artillery regiment.

    • Jean says:

      Do you know what division he was with during WW II? If so, query 16th Artillery Regiment and the division during WW II and you should find information. My dad was in Austria with the 11th Armored Division. He was a doctor and helped liberate Mauthausan Concentration Camp in Austria at the end of WW II.

  6. Theresa says:

    I lost my uncle, Charles Henry Kiefer, a paratrooper who was killed 20 January 1945 at the Battle of the Bulge. I still have the last letter he wrote home to my mother, less than a month before he was killed. He is buried in Luxembourg cemetery,

  7. Pete Corrado says:

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for keeping our history alive! I saw the big book “The War,” and was moved as I looked at the men that signed up and fought in World War 2. Doubt, with the way things are going in our Country these days that enough people would sign up to fight Evil.:

    • Martin Burgos says:

      How many would step up today should the need arise? I am not sure that many of our young citizen will volunteer. I would do it again, but I am sure I won’t be accepted because of my age. I fear for my country. God bless America.

    • Dennis Dueck says:

      Without doubt private bonespurs would have turned tail and ran, IT IS A SHAME WE DO NOT HAVE THE COURAGEOUS MEN AND WOMEN TODAY THAT WE HAD BACK THEN, MY UTMOST RESPECT AND PRAYERS FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES

    • Gary says:

      This is a reply to Pete,Martin and Dennis (below). Do not ever doubt the current American soldiers and their resolve and abilities. They are the best trained forces on the planet and young people have always stepped up when needed. They are fighting the same type of war that Vietnam was, only different place, different people. Never ending but they are dedicated. I am proud of them and was proud to serve during Vietnam. At least today’s troops get respect and love from America.

  8. Carol Moyer says:

    My uncle Clell was there also. He said he layed in a ditch with dead bodies on top of him but still the enemies came along and shot into the ditch. He did make it home.

    • tony garcia says:

      To Dennis Duek

      Leave your hate for President Trump in your acid filled room.
      This article need notbe contaminated
      My Dad 2nd wave 37th Combat Engineers Omaha Beach.

  9. Robert Keeler says:

    Thank you for this remembrance. My Mother’s brother was in the Ardennes campaign, but he rarely talked about his WWII experiences. My Mother told me the family knew her brother was somewhere in that area of Europe and for several weeks she hid the newspapers from her Father who had a heart condition, for fear that bad news from the front would upset him. Only a few months before, the family had gotten word that their other son had been killed in the first wave on Omaha Beach with Co. A, 116th Regiment, 29th Division and the thought of losing their remaining son was too much to bear. Here’s to you, my Uncles George and John.

  10. Brian Remmey says:

    Each veteran of the Battle of the Bulge that I spoke with all said the same thing, “It was so damn cold.” I met one warrior who had served in both in the Bulge and in Korea. When I asked him which was colder, he simply shook his head, and did not answer.

  11. Patricia Hilscher says:

    My father fought in the Battle of the Bulge, but like so many who fought in WW II, he never talked about it. Thankfully, he came home. He passed away 19 years ago, but I am reminded of the great sacrifice he and others gave when I look at the shadow box on my piano with the American Flag presented to my mother on his passing, The inscription on the label is his name, and “Battle of the Bulge Patton’s Third Army, World War II.

    • Connie Ryle Neumann says:

      My father, too, fought with Paton’s 3rd Army in the Battle of the Bulge at just 19-years old. He only would say how severely cold it was and how he never wanted to be that cold ever again. Our family traveled in the same area of Belgium and Luxembourg in 1971 when I was 17; it was really the first time that I realized that my own father was just a teenager in war. Dad was able to visit the WWII Memorial on the National Mall in DC twice with Honor Flight and again with my Mom and I in 2012. He lived to be 92, buried with military honors in 2018.

    • tony garcia says:

      My uncle Tony Benac fought under General Patton. He was proud of this until he died.
      It is hard to imagine how these young men never had the opportunity to be youthfilled fun loving carefree boys as many of us were afforded this.
      Thanks to them, forever

  12. Linda Walker Howard says:

    My father, Ralph Walker, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and earned his Purple Heart for injuries sustained there. God bless our military personnel stationed all over the world, fighting for the freedom that we often take for granted.

  13. Rita E Carpenter says:

    My father, William (Bill) J. Cavanaugh, was with a unit that was surrounded by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. On Christmas they were forced to abandon their equipment, black their faces and hike in the frozen dark through enemy lines. My father never spoke of it to his children, so I know this from what my mother told me after he was gone. He never missed a Midnight Mass, and we knew this was a vow he’d made because of something that had happened to him on Christmas during the war.

    He was with the 83rd Armored Recon Bttn, Company ‘A’. If someone knows about this unit’s history during the Battle of the Bulge, I would dearly love to know.

    • tony garcia says:

      Try calling the National Wwll museum in New Orleans. I am sure they can help start your search

    • Rita E Carpenter says:

      Many thanks! I will try them. I have my father’s photos and if he labeled them correctly, his unit was inside Germany before the Germans began their counteroffensive. I think his records went up in smoke along with so many others.

  14. My father, Fred George Veinfurt, was in the Battle of the Bulge I believe under Timmerman, possibly as a forward observer for artillery. He never spoke of it either, but never missed a war movie. He maintained he was in the first jeep to cross the Rhine river. His war records were destroyed in a fire at the Archives in St Louis, MO. He passed away in 1977, age 53.

  15. Donna Teaume Cook says:

    My dad, Donald A Reaume, was wounded at the “Bulge” on December 29, 1944, he always said he was in the hospital in England for days before he got warm. He also said he had been in the hospital for days unconscious and when he opened his eyes in that white room with an English nurse holding his hand, he thought he was dead and in heaven. Thankful for our.British friends who opened their hearts and homes to the “Yanks”

  16. Anne Elizabeth Arklie says:

    what about the leopoldville disaster Christmas eve?

  17. Deane Highby says:

    My father TSgt Carroll Dean Stephenson, was a medic at the Battle of the Bulge. He was with the 30th Infantry, Old Hickory. Like so many others he didn’t talk about it much. He landed second wave at Normandy and went all the way through Europe until 1945 earning 5 Bronze Stars. He would mention things like how cold he was. He had some effects on his toes and he carried a shrapnel scar on his shin. When I see the documentaries it is just so hard to imagine what those soldiers endured.

    • Linda W. Howard says:

      My dad never spoke about the war, either. He got frostbitten feet during the Battle of the Bulge. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for all of those young men being in that situation on Christmas so far away from home. God bless them all.

  18. Jim Keil says:

    This day was my first Christmas in this Earth. I thank and salute all the brave soldiers who sacrificed so much to keep the America I love so much free! Too many today don’t know anything about what these men endured for us!

    • Butch says:

      Like you Jim, 1944 was my 1st Christmas. I had 2 older brothers and 2 uncles who were there. I served 3 tours in Nam with the USMC. I still have respect for the men and women who have and still serve in the military for our great country. God bless America

  19. Cindy King says:

    My great-uncle, TSgt. Howard Deadman (known in the family as “Bill”), was in the 30th. He was killed Christmas Day. The family was never the same again. He received two Silver Stars for heroism during his service.

  20. Robert B. Driver says:

    My Father, William Robert Driver, was the corporal leading a platoon of far advanced reconnaissance soldiers. This platoon crossed behind enemy lines to observe what the Germans were doing and then come back across the lines to radio headquarters about what they observed. They observed the German forces dragging equipment to the front lines manually and with horses. His platoon radioed the coordinates of the equipment, but headquarters was short on bombs and other targets took priority. The lack of armaments is not mentioned very often but because there were not enough weapons to fully meet the demands of the war targets were missed. The consequence was the Battle of the Bulge, in which my father was wounded and one of his platoon killed.

    When we moved my father out of his home we discovered a letter he wrote to the son of the soldier who was killed telling him what his father was like because the boy never met his father. That precipitated the only conversation my brother and I ever had with Dad about the war. His memories were so vivid and so disturbing that he refused to let the terror of warfare effect his daily life. He loved his platoon mates and stayed in touch with them for the rest of his life.
    May our troops be well armed, well fed and honored and respected.

  21. Terrence Gillespie says:

    My father, Major Stephen M. Gillespie was in the battle with 394th medical detachment to the 394th regiment of the 99th Infantry Division. My Dad never really talked about the battle, but he was wounded by a bullet next to his spine which, because of the location of the bullet, was never removed. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his action, and was mentioned in the book “The Longest Winter”.

  22. Donna Kevan says:

    Reading this story and all of the comments brings tears to my eyes. I feel so sad that they suffered so much, but I am intensely grateful. Our country will need such patriots again. I am a woman, 66 years old, and I pray that I will be strong enough and healthy enough to serve in whatever capacity I am able. I have no faith in our youth (including my 37 year old son) because they have not had to work hard or do without. They don’t know a thing about our country, our constitution, and what it means to be American. They have an entitled attitude and it angers me. I know that there are exceptions, but this is what I see for the most part. God Bless America!

  23. Carol Chapski Kerr says:

    My late father John W. Chapski was in the Battle of the Buldge. He drove an ammunition truck to the front line. He only talked about it in his 90’s. He said it was the coldest he had ever been! He told my sister how he had to take his turn going into the woods and picking up the dead. Imagine soldiers your own age, young men with their entire life ahead of them!! He, like many of them, never considered himself I hero, I did! My mom said he told her, the trucks were staggered, and he saw one blow up right in front of him!! He told me, “I told myself, I will never be taken prisioner!”

  24. Jeanne Hovanec says:

    My father, TSgt Joseph Hovanec, an optics technician, was in the 135th Ordnance Maintenance Battalion and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He only spoke of the cold and his feet were never warm again. He always had cold feet. His team maintained gun sights and other equipment.

  25. My Dad, James Travis Tolbert, was in the Signal Corps attached to Patton’s Third Army. He doesn’t remember quite where he was during the Battle of the Bulge. He will never forget how cold he was. He did take out a tank. They were in foxholes about two football fields away from the Germans. A tank was coming to his lines. He was the only one among the men who remembered how to take out a tank. He put a grenade down the top and two to blow the tracks off of its tracks.

    Additionally, he was the person who sent Eisenhower the telegram that the Germans had finally surrendered.

    • My father, Paul Richford Gilchrist, was attached to Eisenhower, and was the soldier that received that transmission and brought it to Eisenhower. They were kept under orders to not disclose this information for two days,(I believe it was. It has been years since I heard this story). What he did do, was apply for discharge, and was the first to do so, which ,the men in that office. suspecting that he knew something they did not, also signed up. But no one ever broke orders and told of the delay. I do have copies of that telegram, marked,” TOP SECRET”.

  26. Donna O'Brien says:

    Thank you for keeping this history alive. My uncle was killed on Christmas Day 1944 by a German sniper while on patrol near Echternach, Luxembourg. He was 25 years old. He’s buried in Luxembourg American Cemetery. His letters home are so poignant knowing his fate. I also can’t help crying when I think of what his last days were like during the Battle of the Bulge.

  27. John Manley says:

    My father-in-law, Arthur Seibert (RIP), was captured by the Germans towards the end of this battle and spent most of the rest of the war as a wounded prisoner in a POW hospital in Heppenheim, Germany He was shot in the leg during the battle, played dead in the snow, and was taken prisoner by German rear echelon troops before the their front line began retreat, His daughter and 2 grandchildren visited Germany this past spring and were able to walk the roads he walked as his division moved forward to support the American troops already fighting.

    • John Manley says:

      Arthur Seibert was in 14th Division, Company C, 62nd Armed Infantry
      Battalion (Rifleman, Combat Infantry Badge) according to discharge papers
      Discharge papers also say he was wounded on Jan 4, 1945 but battalion
      history gives credence to Jan 1 when 92 enlisted men were MIA

      He rcvd Purple Heart, American Theater Ribbon, Good Conduct medal, RTO(?) ribbon w one bronze star, WWII Victory Medal. He was very active in his local ex-POW group

  28. James Horn says:

    B-17th Tank Battalion of the 7th Armored Division
    Should be Company B, 17th Tank Battalion of the 7th Armored Division. In today’s phontetic alphabet it would informally be known as Bravo Company, but then it was probably Baker Company.

    A member of our church when I was younger was named Harry Hoffman. He had been in the 28th Infantry Division, mostly the PA National Guard. Harry was captured and spent Christmas Eve in a German box car on a siding en route to the POW Camp. Harry spoke some Pennsylvania Dutch and could understand the Germans, but they could not understand him.

  29. Marianne Fulmer Pursell says:

    My father was there, too. He never talked about it, and I was an adult before knowing the story.

  30. Pat Bastian says:

    My uncle, Allan Bastian , was there with the 101st. He survived the war, and is still alive today. He’s 96 years old and remembers and now talks about his memories.

    • Donna OBrien says:

      Pat,
      Please thank your uncle for me. I got to know several WWII veterans while researching my uncle’s war service. They are all gone now. One became a good friend and was an incredible voice of reason during 9/11. He was deeply saddened by that tragedy after having lived through Pearl Harbor and WWII. He never thought he’d live to see another attack on American soil. I miss the wisdom and spirit of these great men. I wish your uncle all the best during this Christmas season.
      Donna O’Brien
      Niece of John McCoy Patrick
      KIA 25 Dec 1944, Echternach, Luxembourg
      Buried at Luxembourg American Cemetery

  31. Lloyd M Willmott says:

    After enlisting in October 1940 and nearly 3 years in Alaska, my Dad, PFC – T/5 Robert G. Willmott, joined the 101st Airborne Division Service Co 502nd Prcht Inf in September 1944 at their camp in France. Next up was the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne followed by crossing the Rhine and finishing up chasing German SS Officers through the Alps. He returned to the USA in June 1945 and was Honorably Discharged 1 July 1945. He retired as a Chief from the USN Reserve. He and I had a few very short conversations about his time in WWII. He died in June 2001 and is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in his home state of California.

  32. John L. Faulkenberry says:

    J.C. York from Atoka, Co. Oklahoma, made the long trip morth, and woke up to the sound of battle at the “BULGE” H lived to tell this story during a brake where I worked with him.

  33. Jim Hirschman MD says:

    About a survivor ….. I am a retired doctor. During the 1970s a patient of mine was Walter Replinsky. He told of being captured during the Battle of the Bulge.
    He said the Germans kept him and his unit in uniform and marched them thorugh Germans towns. The idea was to fool the local Germans that the Nazis wer actually winning. ! Walter survived, and died of natural causes during the 1980s
    God Bless him and all his brave buddies.

  34. Dale says:

    To everyone:
    The U.S. still have the bravest fighters in the world.
    Look at past wars and the present ones that have
    been going on for decades.
    Thank you for your service American veterans and
    other allies.
    My father was with the 101st Abn. and was captured
    on 5 Jan 1945 at Bastogne and survived.

  35. Henry Simpson says:

    There have always been brave and selfless men and women in wartime. There are a few who will not make the sacrifice for many reasons. I love to watch the HBO series called “Band of Brothers” partly for its depiction of the horrors of war especially during the battle of the bulge. I am sure it doesn’t do it justice, but I think it gives viewers a small idea of the sacrifice made by the soldiers who fought and suffered there.

  36. John Barr says:

    My Father-in-law believes his father was a participant in the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortianatly, the personnel office in St Lewis says his records were lost in the fire of 1973. I would love to find a record of his service in this battle. Does anyone have any ideas of other record sets I can use to prove this service?

  37. SO Condrell says:

    My Dad too spoke very little of his wartime years. And did so, only when faced with other life issues, and in very short statements that encourage total acceptance, but no further conversation. Dad was part of Company B, 413th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry Division. Campaigns; Northern France/Netherlands – 1944, Rhineland (Battle of the Bulge)1944-1945, Central Europe 1945.
    Recently I found a record of his (re) baptism by the Chaplain of his Regiment, on December 8, 1944. Given the efforts of his unit before and after that date, it is heartrending to think through a fraction of things he must have been thinking about and through at the time. It is my hope, that it gave him some grounding for the very difficult times he and his cohort went through. I am grateful to that chaplain, Rev Major Milton Berg for being there, and helping.

  38. Jeffrey Jay McManus says:

    My father TSgt. Hal Jay McManus 106th Infantry division survived the Battle of the Buldge. His group defended the important intersection in the town of St. Vith. This was located directly north of Bastonge in an almost identically important defensive position but less famous. They were overun buy German Panzers after successfully ambushing German convoys for about 3 days. He always complained about the cold in the winter of permanent frostbite damage to his feet. Never talked about the details and suffered from nightmares. He did state to me that “War is Hell”. Not war is like Hell. War is Hell…So proud of him. Fortunately, there was a published hardcopy book published about the 106th in this venue entitled “Lion in the Way”. (US Army) I am one of the lucky ones to have this witten document detailing the sacrifices of his “Band of Brothers”. All young heroes. Many forgotten……..

  39. Chuck Ford says:

    My grandfather Rafael Donofrio from Hartford CT was drafted at age 31 and arrived in Europe in December of 1944. I remember him telling me that he got trench foot from the cold and snow that year. He finished out his tour as a cook on a troop train after the trench foot had him sent to the rear. Rest in Peace our soldiers of the Greatest Generation.

  40. Lucy Finch says:

    I read several of the notes of loved ones that served during WWII and also noticed some comments as to the state of our country today. I think back to times as recent as the World Trade Center and am reminded of the resiliency the all Americans have for love of country and love of freedom. I don’t that has changed. I have faith that Americans, young and old, would be proud to step up to the plate if evil comes lurking. Lets face it, there is a reason why our founding fathers came here and that reason is alive and well and flourishing. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!

  41. Glenn Thurman says:

    My father-in-law was wounded and awarded a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne. At Christmas gatherings he often talked about the deep snow and miserable cold during the Battle.

    I have immense respect for him and all the brave men who fought to remove the Nazi scourge from this earth.

  42. Herman Lee Tweedie says:

    John Paul Zimmer was with the 101 st airborne during the battle and layed down between 2 horses on Christmas eve. The barn was shelled that night and the horses were killed and saved him from harm. a50 years later he met the farmer who owned the farm & the horses.

  43. Maureen Dowling says:

    Today, Dec. 11th, would have been my father’s 105th birthday. 1st Lt. Sheridan T. Dowling, a Reconnaissance & Survey Officer with the 687th Field Artillery Battalion, was captured by the Germans on Dec. 17, 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. As with anything else related to his military service, he gave us little detail, and I’m sure a family friendly version, of his service even though he was awarded both the Silver Star and Purple Heart for action in Normandy on July 23, 1944. He did tell us about the Germans having him and the other POWs (Americans and other Allies) walk through Germany almost to the Polish border and then back (now with the Russians behind them) since there were no stalags available for such a large group of officers.
    For the rest of his life he had problems with his toes in cold weather after suffering from frostbite that winter. One night a few months before he died in 1982, while undergoing lung cancer treatment, he began crying. When we asked asked what was wrong he said he was remembering all the men he knew during the war who never came home.
    My father, my hero!

  44. Linda says:

    If you go to NARA.GOV, you can request a copy of your relative’s military record. Records from World War II are considered archival. Even if you think your relative’s records were destroyed in the fire, they are able in some cases to re-create the record.

  45. John Thayer says:

    God bless those in uniform and their families…those who have sacrificed in the past and those who continue to sacrifice for us all.

  46. Elizabeth Heil says:

    Harold Heil, my father, survived the Battle of the Bulge and WWll. He was in the Army Corps of Engineers. Please see his memorial on Fold3 as I posted his war pictures with the soldiers’ names. He never spoke of the war until he did to me when he was in his late 70’s and then only gradually. He started giving talks in his 80’s to various groups/organizations so that we would never forget.

  47. John O'Rourke says:

    My father, Sgt. John F. O’Rourke fought in the Battle of the Bulge. That was a very cold winter in Europe. He said he was never so cold in his entire life.

  48. Linda Fidnick says:

    Some years ago I had the pleasure of visiting Bastogne, and staying with an elderly war widow in her home, a chateau that she proudly told me was a base for American soldiers during that terrible winter of 1944. She described using carefully hoarded rations to make a few pies for Christmas Day and sharing them with the soldiers who were so grateful. She, like all of the older Belgians that I met on that trip, thanked me, as an American, for being a citizen of the country that saved them, at great cost to us, in both World Wars. I have never forgotten that trip, and I am so grateful to the US heroes who sacrificed so much to protect freedom all around the world.

  49. Timothy G McShea says:

    My mothers brother, Mike Ranson was killed, 27 December 1944: during Battle of the Bulge in the woods near Rue du Soy, Soy, Belgium. Sergeant in 75th Infantry Division, 290th regiment. I’ve heard stories about him my whole life. Never got to meet him but from the stories he must have been a real character. He was originally buried in Belgium but brought back to the U.S. at the request of his father
    My niece recently visited the area and found the memorial dedicated to the many soldiers who fought and died there. Brought back some pictures of the area where he lost his life. The people of Soy treated her like family and took a photo of her holding my uncles army picture for their 75th anniversary year of thanks booklet. Very nice to see that they never forgot the sacrifices made on their behalf.

  50. Jim Miller says:

    God bless the American soldier for all they did and still do for us.

    My dad fought in the Battle of the Bulge with a field artillery battalion in the 7th armored division. He never spoke of his service and I never asked. I wish I had. I know it impacted him for the rest of life.

    • Linda Foster Hathaway says:

      Jim, my father also fought at the Battle of the Bulge. He was with General Patto’s Third Army, 736th Tank Battalion, Servic Uit. He also made it home with a lot of battle scars ot so much from wounds, although he had some, but mostly from friends lost. He also would not talk about his time over there, but was a very quiet man for the rest of his life. If you asked him any questions he would only give miimal answers. He had several friends that did make it home, and most of what I have learned has been from his best friend, Jack Wireman. Apparently, his unit got together in Seattle WA in the 1990’s, and Jack really tried to get Dad to attend. Dad refused, he was just not interested in reliving those days. They were all silent heroes as far as I am concerned. I have really had to do a lot of digging to find out what really happened.

  51. Andrea Peteroy says:

    My father, Edward Thomas Peteroy, was shot in the face at the Battle of the Bulge. He was sent to England to recuperate and was given the Purple Heart along with the
    Bronze Star and various campaign medals. From there he was sent back to the US where he married my mother, Francesca Taibi and there I was the end of 1946. I was always 6 months younger than my friends because of the Battle of the Bulge and my fathers heroism.

  52. it was a huge price for the liberation of my country.

    • Rena says:

      They liberated your country and kept the Germans on the other side of the Atlantic. Terrible war from someone too young to remember it. I am a baby boomers daughter! I am very thankful for their sacrifice. American soldiers came home to a booming economy and family waiting for them. Europe had whole countries to rebuild. So thankful it turned out the way it did.

  53. floyd siegfried says:

    MY father was there. Me, my mother and my three young sisters worried that Christmas . My baby brother died during that time. My father never got to see him. It was several weeks before my father heard about his sons death.

    • Beth Smith says:

      I am so sorry for all who suffered in that terrible war. I was 4 yrs. Old when my brother came home. Our family was very fortunate. He was 19 when he left in 1943.

    • Dorothy Willis says:

      I was 2 1/2 when my father came home. I can just remember it. We are the old folks now!

  54. Christine Buchanan Danbeck says:

    My brother’s father, Harold Hilliard Cruger, died 1 Jan 1945 in Remagne, Luxembourg, Belgium. His son never knew him as he was born Mar 1945. So horrific to hear the conditions these soldiers faced that winter.

    • Jeff D says:

      I’m so proud of you to write of what had happened to your loved one.
      My late grandfather was in the army captive in concentration camp with families.
      I will never forget that and proud of all that served in this great country of United States

  55. Sharon Sides says:

    My late dad, Pvt. Clarence Hollis Scruggs from Alabama, was severely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. Like the others mentioned, besides the horrors of the Battle, he always talked about how cold it was, and he claimed he never got warm after that. It was always frustrating for us kids to visit him later in life when he had the heat on high and as sat with a jacket on. I better understand it now. He described the night he was wounded as brightly moonlit and every time he or anyone tried to move, the Germans picked them off one by one. As an infantryman, he spent much time in deep snow. But after he was wounded, he packed himself with the snow to stop the bleeding. He described pretending to be dead so as not to attract attention. Eventually, some medics searching for survivors came across my dad and got him to safety.
    He spent nine months in Walter Reed Hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries, but at least he was alive, although never quite the same. Who would be?
    Thank you for calling to remembrance this awful Battle during Christmas that our brave soldiers had to endure. It helps explain why my dad always seemed to hate Christmas so much. I’m just sorry I didn’t understand better through the years.
    To survivors of recent battlefields, please share some of your experiences with your families. It would be so helpful in understanding how these experiences affected your lives, and ultimately the lives of those who love you and value your service to our nation and the world. God Bless every past and present person in uniform. Thank you for your service.

    • Van Blakeman says:

      As a Marine of the Viet Nam era, I have often thought that the real heroes were the medics.

    • Sharon Sides says:

      Thank you for YOUR service!!

    • Donna Brown says:

      Thank you for sharing this incredible account of your father’s service in WWII, and how it forever affected him and his loved ones. The gratitude in my heart runs deep for brave men and women like your father who gave so much so that we can live free. May God bless our men and women in uniform this Christmas– wherever they are serving!

    • So sorry to hear that your dad was wounded during that battle, and was never the same after that. My dad fought in Italy and was never the same when he came home. He probably had what is now known as PTSD, but back then that condition was not understood or diagnosed. He didn’t want to talk about his wartime experiences so I never pushed him to. But now that he is gone I surely wish I would have tried to get him to open up about that awful time in his life!!! So sad for all of those men and what they and their families had to give up to defend our country!!!

    • John Walts says:

      God bless your dad and your family!! My dad was in the combat engineers also at the battle of the bulge. He never talked about it. I never new how bad it was there until I read your article.Im 65 now if I only new back when I was growing up. As they say freedom isn’t free.

    • Sharon Sides says:

      Thank you for reading my dad’s story, which can be multiplied by thousands! Yes, knowing then what we know now would have helped us understand a lot of things. It’s taken me 72 years to appreciate him and put a lot of things in the right perspective. Wish there could have been more joy in his life.

  56. Elizabeth Coleman says:

    My precious Daddy, Sgt. Harry B. Iler, Jr., 19 years old, Patton’s Third Army, 94th Infantry Division, endured the Battle and the freezing temperatures. He is forever my favorite and best hero. Thank you to him and all those that served so bravely.

    • John F Leach says:

      My father in law, Anthony M. Costello served in company M, 203rd Regt of the 94th Division. He said Patton wanted to give each member of the division a Bronze Star for the way the preformed during December – January 1944-45.

  57. CSM(R) Rick Berry says:

    My father, PFC Iler L. Berry was with C Co, 48th AIB 7th AD and wounded on Christmas Eve 1944 near Manhay Belgium. He was reported MIA but was found, recovered and returned to his unit in March. I’ve been researching, through morning reports, his service which earned him 3 battle stars for Northern France, Ardennes and Rhineland as well as a Purple Heart. After being assigned to his company in September, they were in almost constant contact with the enemy through January 45. What remarkable bravery and sacrifice they all gave for us.
    Sadly, those who gave us so much are leaving us all to soon. May God Bless Them

    • George T. Goins says:

      CSM: My Uncle was in the 941 FA BN and had five(5) battle stars. He never spoke of his experiences. I have been trying to research his trek through WWI which started in Normandy. I think they went ashore D plus 5. His bs were for Normandy, N. France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe. Can you tell me how to get access to morning reports? I have tried to get copies of his records but was refused because I’m not in succession to get them, even though he never married and no one else in my family wants them. I do have some info but very little. I really would like to see some of the morning reports. Very respectfully, George T. Goins, MSG, USA(ret).

  58. Jacqueline Applegate says:

    As a military family my husband and I were stationed in Germany and took a trip to Brugge Belgium. While there we met 3 Veterans who had served under Patton and each of them still carried that prayer card in their billfolds from that War. It had a profound impact on all of us who listened to their stories.

    • Jan Harman says:

      Dear George, if you belong to Ancestry they have all the records that you are looking for about your uncle and the battle. There is also other genealogy information on the internet and a lot of free information too! Try to also google the information. I hope this helps. Jan

  59. Frances A. Clancy-Green says:

    In remembrance of those brave men who lost their lives and those who were wounded at the Battle of the Bulge but returned to their families from this war.

    In Honor of our Maryland cousin, Pvt. William David Clancy Jr., who died the 26 AUG 1944 in France and is buried in Florence, Italy. We Thank You For Your Service To Our Country, The United States Of America. We miss you from your Newark, Delaware Clancy cousins.

  60. I am not sure if ANY of my family was there . I am not far enough along in my genealogy research, BUT , I will say that my American family of soldiers were there and I’m SO damn grateful and proud of those men ! I can never honor them enough like they deserve to be ! God bless them all for their sacrifice bravery and heroism. They are America’s family ❤️

  61. Larry Cofer says:

    My father, Sargeant Emmett Ray Cofer, is in the photo. He is still with us at age 98, living with my brother in Leadville Colorado at 10,000 feet elevation – still in cold winters. He calls this photo “Christmas dinner out of a box”. Boehm is bending down. Behind him are Taylor and Hittle. My did is 4th in line. He tells the story of an artillery shell exploding in the tree above him and knocking him backwards into a fox hole on top of his buddies. He was OK, but I think he has bad hearing now because of it. He crossed the Mosel and the Rhein under fire. His unit was at the Czech border when the war ended. He got to shake hands with some Russians.

    • Nancy says:

      Glad he survived the war. The soldiers in that war were amazing. Its so nice you have that picture of your dad. That’s rare to have that kind of photo.
      Tell your dad “thank you” for his service & sacrifice.

    • Would it be possible to ask him if he remembers a women war correspondent, named Marjorie Avery, who was present outside Bastogne. She was from the Detroit Free Press and married my uncle after the war. SHAEF rules barred women from combat zoned, from jeeps, from official press conferences, and the perks given men, they were with the GIs, and wrote about them.
      GIs loved them and gave them rides to the combat zones. The few women journalists ate K rations, slept on the ground, and carried all their own equipment.

      My Aunt and another women correspondent, Catherine Coyle of Boston, arrived outside Bastogne Dec. 24, right before the Army entered Bastogne, her with them. She was loosely attached to Patton’s Army. She crossed the Rhine under fire at the Remagen bridge, at the first meet up with the Red Army across the Elbe at Torgau, and was on the Czech border when at war ended.

      She was quite petite, blonde, and very pretty. I and my 3 children are her only relatives left. Like so many, she talked very little about actual war experiences. If you possibly can ask your father I would be ecstatic.
      Sincerely, Barbara P. McCrea
      4040 Greenleaf Circle #409
      Kalamazoo Mi 49008

    • Carl Sell says:

      Check with the Friends of Luxembourg Cemetery. That’s where Patton is buried. They may have a picture of Patton with a female war correspondent in a jeep.

  62. […] Christmas During the Battle of the Bulge […]

  63. Brian Duckworth says:

    My Grandfather, James Calton Duckworth JR was there. We do not know exactly why, but he was in the Army Finance Corp. He was in a foxhole when his Captain came along and asked each of his men how much ammo did they have. When he came to my Grandpa, “Two bullets,” was his reply. The Captain told him to use one on a German and then use the next one for himself because of the stories of how the Germans treated prisoners. Grandpa replies, “No Captain, I’m going to shoot two Germans and use my bayonet on the rest “verbatim”.

    Thankfully Grandpa made it out alive, as General Patton busted a hole in the German line. Grandpa jumped on the back of a Jeep with 7 other soldiers and rode out of their.

    As he rode out, there on his tank stood General George S Patton, saluting all the men who had suffered through that campaign.

    After this, Grandpa was attached to Patton’s finance staff and he said he often would see famous signatures of Patton and even Eisenhower go across his desk.

  64. Bill Latta says:

    My uncle, T/Sgt James W. Latta was with Patton’s 3rd Army, 5th Infantry Division, Hq and 10th Infantry Regiment. He told me about the terrible conditions the men endured that December and the 24-hour 100-mile distance his unit traveled in snow, mud and cold to reach the battle. Thankfully he was not injured. I have his copy of the prayer card referenced in the article. Gen. Patton commissioned the prayer from his Chaplin Msgr. James H. O’Neill on December 8th 1944. I suspect that many of the men joined the General in saying this prayer more than once during the campaign:

    “Almighty God and most merciful father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously harken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.”

  65. My dad, George M Sutton Jr. was in that battle. The shells were flying over his head. At one point a German officer walked almost on top of him looking for Americans to shoot. Both his hands and feet were so severely frostbitten he could not shoot his rifle or defend himself. He was finally able to crawl out and taken by medics away from the battlefield. Like so many others, the doctors thought they would have to take off his limbs. But his circulation returned and 9-months later he was released from the hospital. By that time the war was over!
    Dad suffered all his life and the feeling in his feet never returned. He received a Purple Heart. Many of his letters home were published in the Inglewood Daily News.

  66. Ken Crepeau says:

    My Uncle Elmer Stewart was killed Christmas Day 1944 at the Namur Airstrip designated “advanced landing ground Y-47” which they had just laid down when the Battle of the Bulge began. I am reasonably certain he was killed by a V2 rocket bomb given the Germans were blanketing that part of Belgium at the time. He was temporarily buried at Fosse Cemetery and subsequently moved to his permanent burial site at Henry-Chapelle Memorial Cemetery. Those people paid dearly to ensure our safety for 70 years and now we seem to be squandering it.

  67. Tim Felder says:

    A veteran myself between wars, I remember soldiers of WWI telling of their battlefield experiences. A soldier of that war showing me his wound, a machine gun bullet that left an entrance and an exit scar in the calf of his leg. He was a 2nd Lt., wounded and left in no-mans-land in an infantry assault in France. Recovered the next day and hospitalized. He told me his most vivid memory was stepping on a dead German and the gasses of putrefaction that were released almost causing him to lose consciousness.
    A WWII veteran telling me that in the Battle of the Bulge, he was retreating from the Germans and ran 10 miles with bullets kicking up snow each time he would pause to rest. And there are many others.
    These men endured what we can not imagine. They saved our country and many are interred in sacred honor at Arlington. We must be true to their sacrifice and not allow our country to be stolen by demagogues and jingoists pretending to be patriots. Specifically I refer to Trump, his toadies and the GOP.

    • Patricia Hilscher says:

      You spoiled your lovely comments by the last sentence, which was totally unnecessary.

    • Richard Kurtz says:

      I am a veteran of the Korean War. You may not like pres. Trump, but I admire him for his dedication to our vets. I think of one little published article when all military units had prior commitments and Trump sent his personal private jet to bring home vets that couldn’t get any other transportation says a lot about him. He received no publicity for that act of service.

    • Carolyn says:

      As an American you have the right to criticize anybody you’d like to. He has given lip service to the military and pretended to fund hospitals and equipment and even raises! Sargent Bone Spurs indeed

      And yes, he did let people know about his private jet. It was no secret. He’s about as noble and humble has hitler himself

    • Mike DeCapita says:

      Mr. Kurtz,

      The story about Trump sending his private aircraft to transport U.S. soldiers is false. According to Snopes, the false story originated with Sean Hannity.

      https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trumps-marine-airlift/

    • Sharon Sides says:

      Can we PLEASE keep politics out of this blog that is focusing on the Battle of the Bulge? Remember that this is about THOSE soldiers and not us!!

    • Pam says:

      You do realize snopes is owned by George Soros.

    • Linda says:

      Amen to your last comment!

    • Barbara Breaux says:

      Shame on your political views
      being expressed on this site

    • Dorothy says:

      That final comment is completely inappropriate and only included to try to start a fight on this site. You should be ashamed of yourself!

    • You are absolutely right, Dorothy. He should be ashamed. This site is not a platform for political debate!

    • Ken Crepeau says:

      I spent thirty years in DOD and Intel and like the many service members who paid dearly for their contributions, I and my family paid significantly for that commitment. The comment had no political inference. It was meant to suggest that not enough people are aware of or making similar commitments to our world and future. You comments are appropriate tho.

    • Joanne says:

      I agree with what you say!

  68. Tim Felder says:

    As an afterthought, these heroes seldom thought of themselves as heroes. They may have recalled their experiences, but never sought praise or glory. To them they only did they duty as they promised and vowed. God love them for what they did and I certainly will.

  69. Pam says:

    My dad, Ernesto A. Elias, US Army Infantry, was captured by the Nazi’s on Dec. 24, 1944. He was 19 years old and an outstanding athlete. He made 5 attempts at escape from Stalag IV B by pole-vaulting over the prison wall.
    He was recaptured 4 times, but made it to allied lines the last time, having lost 60 lbs while in captivity. In July of 1945, once at home in New Orleans, the Picayune Newspaper wrote an article about him and a few of his friends who hadn’t seen each other for more than 2 years. They celebrated Christmas in July at the parent’s home of one of the young men. Dad went on to Hinds Junior College to play football, baseball and boxing. While there, he wrote an essay on his experience in the Battle of the Bulge, most of which he never talked about.

    I am so blessed that I have the essay and the newspaper article because I would never know the details of his experience; forced labor, endless marching without food or water in one of the worst winters ever, German brutality, near-starvation in the prison camp and everything from attempted escapes to street-fighting in Prague.

    • Marlys Boll says:

      Please, could you response as to what newspaper the article of your Dad was published? These stories are so brutal from the men that were able to come home. I had uncles in the war, but have not been able to pinpoint their locations. Thank you for sharing.

    • Pam says:

      Marlys, The picture and the article were in The Times Picayune, New Orleans LA,
      Thursday July 5, 1945. There are 4 US Army soldiers and 1 US Sailor. My father is the Army soldier seated on the couch next to Mrs. Cottingham. You should be able to find it. Good luck!

    • Pamela Shea says:

      My great uncle was captured by the Germans on December 15th in the Battle of the Bulge and was rescued by the Russians from Stalag 3-A on June 9th. My father said he didn’t want to talk about his experience but I heard that he had hardly any food and had to eat bugs and rats if he could find them and always suffered from stomach problems afterwards.
      I would be interested in reading your dad’s essay if you would be willing to share it.
      Thanks, Pamela

    • Pam says:

      Mrs. Shea, I’d love to share it with you. Please email me at [email protected]

  70. David Kerber says:

    My Dad had been in constant combat since D-Day and just before the battle his unit was ordered to the rear for some rest. When the Germans attacked, his group turned right around and back into the war. In my Dad’s company, from D-Day through the Battle of the Bulge and VE Day, he was only 1 of 5 soldiers who were not killed or wounded out of 250 men.

  71. Glenn Van Dusen says:

    In 1982, I was visiting in Holland and was escorted on a tour on an American military cemetery on the Belgian border. How beautiful and serene it was. I was walking among the graves of soldiers who died during the Battle of the Bulge and spotted one soldier who died December 25, 1944. That was the day I was born. I will never forget that moment.

  72. Jeanne Hovanec Rosser says:

    Shortly after 9/11 my father, who walked around the outside of our local mall very early every morning, was getting into his car when approached by 2 older teen boys who said “hey old man, where’s your American flag?” My father stood tall and replied “how many battle stars do you have? I have 3.” He showed no fear but was carrying a little protection (a small ice pick). My father served in WW2 and had stars for the Battle of the Bulge, Battle of Rhineland, and Battle for Central Europe. He was proud of his service, and the service of others until the day he passed. And had little use for the spoiled entitled youth such as those he encountered.

  73. Gilbert Nelson says:

    My father, Kenneth F. Nelson was in Hq BN of 376th PFAB, 82nd Airborne in the Battle of the Bulge. Among other decorations, received the Silver Star for the Bulge. He didn’t talk about the battle that much, but in his later years amidst unvarying great sobs, he would talk about how cold it was. He said that he envied the dead, because at least they didn’t hurt any more.
    Dad always felt cold from then on, no matter what time of year, and I have often wondered if it was a lingering effect of that cold, cold winter.

  74. Harry Farley says:

    My father was a photographer for the Army at the Battle of the Bulge.

    • Michele Zimmerman says:

      I have been searching for a picture of my grandfather that was in a book. The book got stolen and my grandfather passed away in 1987. I have been searching for years and still haven’t found it. He was alone standing on a long cannon/gun barrel.

    • Patricia Hilscher says:

      Have you tried to find the book through Able Books or Book Depository? If not try. I hope you are able to locate.

    • Sharon Sides says:

      Do you have any of his photos that you could share from this particular Battle? I’m sure so many of us family members would appreciate seeing them.

  75. james w johnson says:

    My Cousin James Kisner died an christmas eve in the battle of bulge. God bless these good and great patreiots for what the did for us.

  76. William Sonnett says:

    My Father was 30 years old when he was in the Battle of the Bulge. He was an infantry platoon leader. He had fought his way across Europe and seldom spoke of it. He did say that the Bulge was the worse experience of the War. He returned home on a hospital ship with frozen feet. His feet were never the same. He died a week before 911. Remembering 1Lt William J Sonnett.

  77. J. Renwick says:

    My father, age 24, with a wife and child (me), was drafted in May 1944. He had been working as a supervisor at the Army Ammunition Plant in St. Louis. He was assigned to the infantry, and after Basic at Camp Robinson in Arkansas and further training in Oklahoma, was sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey, the Army’s embarkation point for Europe. His group was being sent as reinforcements for the Battle of the Bulge. Two days before departure, he came down with mumps, and so was left behind when the others shipped out. After he recovered, he was put in an artillery unit, and served in combat in Germany. His original outfit suffered 50% casualties; mumps likely saved his life.

  78. Grace Mulloy says:

    I beg to disagree with Tim Felder’s last statement in his comments. It was totally out of place.

  79. Donald Heffington says:

    My father – PFC William L Heffington – joined this battle as a machine gunner on Dec. 24, 1944. His Christmas meal table was on the hood of Patton’s jeep. It was so cold that you kept your canteen next to your skin under 5 layers of clothing to keep it from freezing. He told the story of positioning his machine gun at the Y of a road when a unit of German soldiers had goose stepped off to replace another patrol group. A tarp was laid down over the German soldier’s latrine and the machine gun was set up over it. When the relieved German patrol came marching back, he and his ammo bearer, Lloyd Harbor, were able to capture a completely surprised unit. My dad lasted through that campaign and through two more (3 battle stars) before being severly wounded in the middle of March 1945 by an 88 mm shell from a Tiger tank. His purple heart was for the loss of one eye and the loss of full use of one leg, partial loss of hearing, and shrapnel left in the brain which caused a constant headache.
    He always felt fortunate to have survived the war. I am thankful to all veterans for their service and measure of devotion to our country.

  80. I was 17 years of age when I joined the Marines in 1965. I wanted to experience combat, when I saw the flash on TV in the summer of 1965 (The Marines land in Vietnam), I told myself I better hurry-up and enlist before the Marines end the war in 10 days. I was so naive I had no Idea of boot camp nor military training. But, on December 15, 1966 I was on my way to Vietnam. Every where I went they wanted to keep me. I had to fight them to get on my way. In June or July of 1967, I joined A/1/9 we were Special Landing Forces, aboard the USS Okinawa then the USS Iwo Jima. They were helicopter ships that would give us a ride into combat. We engaged the North Vietnamese and Vietcong on many occasions. Sometimes we would lose 25 guys in one battle it was tough for everyone. We were resupplied every night with fresh men, ammo and food (C rations), no fresh water. We got our water where we could find it. I was medvac right after Thanksgiving and went aboard the USS Okinawa on December 10, 1967, the company got hit with enemy artillery and motor fire, we lost 10 men including one corpsman. They were my friends. I wasn’t there to help them. I felt so bad on Christmas Day. I still feel bad and sad. I extended my tour and ended up at Khe Sanh Vietnam on January 21, 1968 just before my 20th birthday and the start of the 77 day siege of khe sanh. To all military personnel; I love you Merry Christmas. Here is something you my not know: Military personal don’t die For there country they die for there buddies.

    • Ed Schwartz says:

      Raymond A. Ramirez thanks for your service. Did you happen to know a Larry Kumm that was in the 1/9 the same time as you were.

      Thanks,
      Ed Schwartz

  81. Brenda Irby says:

    My uncle, Edwin J. Fraley from Newcombe, Kentucky, was killed on New Years Day 1945 in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. He was buried in an American Cemetery in France, but after the war, the family had his body returned to the US, and he is now buried in the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville.

  82. Gerri Shoemaker says:

    My husband, Leslie Shoemaker, was in the Battle of the Bulge. He was with the 84th Infantry Division, and I did not hear from him for a month, during that time. He later wrote that he had had His first hot meal in a long time, on Christmas day.
    He passed away on November 16 at age 98. He left us a written account of some of his experiences in the war. I treasure those accounts,and am so proud of his service in WWII. He never spoke of his time at the front in the Battle of the Bulge until late in his life. I am so glad we have a written account that was typed up for us by a nephew of his brother, Ron Shoemaker.

  83. Larry Murley says:

    My Uncle, Berlon H. Smith was a cook, he and the staff prepared Christmas food on the 12/25/44, mid afternoon the brass came through and told them to put it away, there was no one left, years later, my aunt, his baby sister, asked him why he helped prepare Christmas Dinner for the family, but would never sit and eat, he told her this story. He served with the 84th ID, the Railsplitter Division, 333rd Regt, All I ever hear him talk about was the cold. he said at one of the cook camps, they had the German dead stacked like cordwood, nearby, he said the Doughboys would come get their food, and go sit on the stacks of dead German soldiers body to eat their food. General William Tecumseh Sherman said “War is Hell” Yes Sir, General, you are right Sir.

  84. Maria Riordan says:

    My father too, said the frozen dead were stacked like cordwood, and that soldiers were so numb to the situation, that they sat upon them when they ate.

  85. Dorothy Willis says:

    My father, 1st Lieutenant Burton B. Shannon, was part of Patton’s relief effort. He was in charge of a truck company that hauled the reinforcements to the front, went back for more and brought them up. He said the weather was so bad that when the soldiers got out of the back of the trucks they would take two or three steps and be invisible. He got his copy of Patton’s prayer and appreciated it. He also got the Christmas dinner the general insisted on, but he was so nervous he soon threw it all up. My mother used to say it was the worst Christmas of her life.

  86. Carl Sell says:

    My cousin, Jack Stitzer of Gordon, PA, was wounded. He was with the engineers and said it was so cold they had to put cinders on the roads so the tanks could move on the ice. These soldiers protected and preserved our freedom. Thank God for them. I get angry when I hear the uninformed disparage our military.

  87. Gaye Willis says:

    Please don’t forget the 763 soldiers who died when their transport, the Leopoldville sank on Christmas Eve on their way to France to be reinforcements in the Battle of the Bulge. My husband’s uncle, Waldo Willis, was among those who perished. It is a fascinating and sad story of incompetence and miscommunication. And then the sinking was classified so as not to discourage the public. Many family members did not learn what happened to their sons, brothers, husbands, fathers for years. Here’s one interesting article that gives a good summary of this tragedy. https://www.omaha.com/news/military/a-christmas-eve-tragedy-kept-secret-the-story-of-the/article_931e9ce5-0b1c-56e7-9f74-af0596d3cd05.html

  88. Mark L. Humphrey says:

    My uncle, Jack Hand, was a medic with the 101st Airborne at Bastogne. He received the purple heart for a wound which he described as a scratch but about which he would never elaborate. Assigned to the field hospital in the city’s cathedral, he told of witnessing a burning, driverless jeep speeding across the square in front of the church. A scene much later depicted in “A Band of Brothers”.

    Ted Avery, an army photographer attached to the 101st throughout the war, was also at Bastogne. Many, if not all of the photographs one sees in the history books of the siege are his.

    My friend’s aunt, whose name escapes me, was a war correspondent probably covering Marlene Dietrich’s USO tour at Ardennes, where they were to have a show on the 16th. Taken by surprise during the attack, she found herself witnessing two German soldiers attacking a radio truck, which she successfully defended with a Colt pistol she’d picked up, shooting both in the back. Technically, she’d committed a war crime as she was not a combatant. But then they would almost certainly have shot her had they taken her prisoner, armed or not.

    Ranger Sergeant Norm Coulombe was assigned to take twenty SS prisoners several miles to the rear for internment on the 25th. His captain told him to be back in ten minutes or he would miss Christmas dinner, such as it was. He took them to the next field and shot them dead to the strains of “White Christmas” playing in the distance. He made it back in time to eat but he could never listen to “White Christmas” again. In his defence, the SS had been murdering American prisoners as well.

  89. Sylvia Christensen says:

    My father, Pvt. Wayne Ursenbach, was in this battle. He was an MP because of bad vision, but then assigned infantry. He went into battle on Christmas, froze his feet, no winter gear. Came home in May, 1946. Went on with his life, became known in his professional field, as well as faithful service to God all his life. Celebrated his 96th birthday recently. Now, his grandson, our son, is in his 23rd year in the Army, with multiple deployments already. Proud to be in their family.

  90. My uncle Arnoul Ryan was wounded and died in a Belgium hospital. He’s buried in the Ardennes Cemetery. He was only 19. My son had the honor of being able to visit his gravesite recently. The person in charge of the cemetery did a wonderful job of escorting him to his site and explaining what probably happened in battle. My son also had been in touch with a Belgium police officer who makes it his duty to help at the cemetery. My son had never met him and didn’t tell him he was coming but coincidentally he happened to be there and met. It was a great experience for my son. My Dad also spent 2 1/2 years in Europe during the war.

  91. Jerry Hess says:

    My former Cumberland, MD, neighbor and great friend was a survivor of The battle of the Bulge. As a medic he saw things too horrible to talk about. I admire Phil Handley and thank him for his service to the USA. He is a great patriot.

  92. William Trexler says:

    My Dad fought from the landing on Omaha Beach to the Battle of the Bulge. When it appeared that the Germans might succeed in breaking through the Allies’ positions, two of the best combat divisions were sent to reinforce the Northern sector of the Bulge at Elsenborn Ridge. It was the only sector the Germans did not break through. Dad, in the 39th Regiment of The 9th Division, tangled with the pros of 1st SS Panzer in one assault after another for almost two weeks. Once where the ground was too frozen to dig foxholes, they used the frozen corpses of German soldiers for cover. It was an epic battle and some historians refer to the stand at Elsenborn Ridge as the Little Round Top ( turning point of the Civil War at Gettysburg) of WWII.
    No stranger to tank assaults, the 39th had been awarded a Presidential Citation for stopping a similar German drive to reach the coast and take a port. That experience paid off in the Bulge.
    Dad left the Army as a company first sergeant with a leg full of shrapnel from Elsenborne Ridge, five battle stars, and two Purple Hearts. He was willing to talk about his experiences, always in a matter of fact tone like it was just a job that had to be done.
    Great infantryman, great Dad.

  93. Will Jones says:

    My father-in-law, Charles Van Dyne (Rochester, NY), was in an artillery battalion during the battle of the Bulge. He was wounded and captured by the German Army, and eventually was placed in a prison camp; he was eventually liberated by the Russian Army and returned home. During his time in prison camp he was hit in the jaw with the butt of a rifle by a German guard just for smiling. Charles’ family was aware of his capture but was thoroughly surprised when one day he turned-up at his home – returning unannounced from the horror’s of war. Throughout the remainder of his life he did not speak much about his ordeal but at times appeared to demonstrate the stress created by this situation. Charles Van Dyne passed away in January 1999, in his home town of Rochester. He will always remain a hero to his family and 4 children.
    As a result of Charles’ ordeal he never spoke much about the war. The Van Dyne family lost or misplaced any information that identified his military Division/Company/etc. I am hopeful that someone who reads this message will somehow have information about his Army military service so that we can add to the memory of this American Hero. Thanks.

  94. Harold Warma says:

    My Father cousin Henry Charles Wachtman Jr. was captured Dec. 18 and held as a POW till his escape March 31. He was rescued three days later by 12th Armored Division 7th Army. Dad and 2 Brothers served it the Pacific. Dad army, brothers navy.

  95. My uncle Bob Morrill lost a leg in the battle. He hide under a frieght car.

  96. C.S. Traver says:

    My brother Chas. Henderson was taken POW after spending 3 nights severely wounded on the battle field. He was part of the 106th Infantry. He survived but died at age 56 after raising a family.
    Some Florida veterans under the leadership of Mr Mizell worked to build a monument to honor the participants of the battle. It is very nice. All the divisions who served in that battle are honored on the statue of a GI in battle gear. It is located at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando, Florida. Be sure to visit when visiting Central Your relative’s name may be there.
    Thanks for remembering the sacrifices of these brave men.

  97. Dick Lewis says:

    My dad was in the 28th Infantry Division and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. While I don’t believe he actually had his feet frozen, they were definitely badly frost bitten. All the rest of his life, his feet hurt terribly when they got cold. After the Battle of the Bulge, he ran forward reconnaissance for 3rd Army on the way to Berlin. He returned to the US in 1945 and continued to serve until the early 1950’s. The first anniversary my parents celebrated together was their 4th in 1946. I was born in 1948 and have pictures of him in uniform holding me as a 2 or 3-year-old.

  98. Angela Deban Tesoriero says:

    My father Private First Class William Deban was wounded at Luxembourg on December 24,1944. He was a member of the 26th Yankee Division of the 3rd Army under General Patton.
    He served with the 801st Tank Destroyer Battalion.

  99. June Hannay Kosier says:

    As a VA nurse, I cared for men who fought in this battle many years later. They never told me the horrors they endured, just that they were there. It was a privilege to care for them. God bless them all.

  100. Barbara (Winchenbach) Linscott says:

    My father, Robert C. Winchenbach, was in the Battle of the Bulge. He enlisted April 26, 1944 when I was 4 months old and my brother was 2 years old. Dad received the Purple Heart after being wounded by shrapnel during the battle. He spent the last days of his enlistment in the hospital. I remember him telling me that he spent one night in a barn, sleeping in a hay crib where cattle were fed. I also remember my mother scolding me when I tried to look out a window after dark. During the war everyone used blackout curtains to hide any light from escaping our homes. Lights would reveal the location of cities and villages if enemy planes were in the area.

  101. Daniel Marshall says:

    My dad, 2nd Lieutenant Dan Marshall of Lexington KY, had become a platoon leader after completing OCS at Fort Benning (GA) when he arrived on the front in Belgium with the 75th Infantry Division on Christmas Eve of 1944. Like all the other brave soldiers whose stories now appear here on this website, he was proud to serve — he turned out to be a lucky one, who came home without physical injury or wounds, reunited with his bride and had four kids, and finished school on the GI Bill. I well remember as a boy trying on his uniform and cap, playing soldier while wearing his helmet liner, and listening to his tales, which he told quite candidly (but which I was much too young to fully appreciate). There was never any doubt in our minds that his wartime experiences were deep, difficult, and abiding, and they never left him. Some time ago, I found and purchased a copy of LIFE magazine from January 1945, which had a large pictorial on Allied progress in the Battle of the Bulge — there was a huge (B&W) photo of the Belgian forest, damaged by shellfire and gunfire, and layered with much snow — it had been taken on Christmas morning 1944, and I always thought (probably correctly, I still believe) that that photo showed my dad’s very first morning and his first view of just where in the world he had landed when he signed up to serve in the US Army. We owe *all* the soldiers, sailors, and Marines, including of course the brave medics and the civilian supporters and workers back home, our deepest gratitude … for their help and tremendous effort in making our lives today possible. And our thanks to all of you for sharing these stories and memories.

    • virginia fleischman says:

      Very well said, Daniel, we must NEVER forget the courage and sacrifice of the greatest generation.

    • Judi Frazer says:

      Nice message. I agree completely

    • Jase Schellinger says:

      Wow. Well pictured and well said. I just lost my grandfather who was the last surviving WW2 veteran in his small hometown in Texas. I cant begin to express the feelings of awe and gratitude for this generation. My kids will be lost of this, dreadfully. I salute your dad, and Merry Christmas sir.

  102. James W Parker says:

    One of my closest high school friends died there. He was a little older than me. He had enlisted and was in training but was instead shipped as a replacement in that battle. I will never know exactly what happened to him, but I have marched as a veteran in Veteran’s Day parades ever since, to honor his memory.

  103. My brother Clarence Schall served with the 28th General Hospital
    the hospital was bombed and many killed. It was a pile of rubble.
    I have pictures before and after. Also my brother wrote letters
    every week from the time he was drafted till he got out. He got the purple heart and a German prisoner standing by him got killed.

  104. Linda L Rusch says:

    My Father Noland Eugene Riley was a survivor of the Battle of the Bulge. He didn’t say much about it, except one incident that happened after the relief came. His unit had been awake for over 48 hours when they found a building to take shelter and rest. As they were sleeping on the 2nd floor, a German Tank started firing at the building and was headed to crash into it. One of the men jumped from the 2nd story window onto the tank, and threw a grenade into the tank, killing the Germans and saving the rest of the men.

  105. Tony Waraskevich says:

    My uncle Frank Carrigan of Madison, Maine was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge and received the Purple Heart.

    • Linda Riley Rusch says:

      I am fairly certain my dad talked about your uncle. I remember his name because one time I was helping my dad to track down the men he remembered from the battle. My Dad wasn’t injured but he did receive the Belgian Medal of Honor and a similar honor from France. I’m sure your Uncle did too.

  106. Chief Parker says:

    Cecil Parker My dad now 100 years old was there under Lt Col Lovelady 3th Armored Division. 2nd battalion he was in in a tank. He talks to me about this battle when I ask.

    • Linda says:

      Chief Parker. Could you ask your dad if he remembers Joseph William Nichols, known as “Bud”? He was in the 3rd armored and was KIA in early February 1945. Joseph was my grandfather. Thank you!

  107. Susan C says:

    My uncle Frank Esposito- Brooklyn NY WWII Army Engineers died before Battle of the Bulge

  108. Carol Neil Jones says:

    My Dad, Ernest T. “Babe” Neil was a radio operator in the 70th tank battalion. He never talked about this time or any of the other battles. He survived and lived 15 years after the Battle of the Bulge, dying after a car accident. He suffered “battle fatigue” that we now call PTSD till the day he died.

    • Sharon Sides says:

      My condolences to you and your family not only on his death but on the painful silence you all suffered through in the years after he returned from the war.

  109. Mary Putnam says:

    Wow. What sacrifice. Brave men all.

  110. Addie Healy says:

    Thank you for sharing. The pictures got to me! A picture says a 1000 words! God bless you Dad and to all the other Dads that went off to war when their country called on them to do so!

  111. Ginny Eubank Carter says:

    My dad, Joe Eubank was there also. He was in the 101st Airborne. He never told my brother or I about being there. The only way that I found out he was there was when I took some of his military records to a recruiting office and asked them to translate what it said. The young Army soldier told me that he had been in the battle.

  112. Bob Del Prete says:

    Pop was a combat medic, 9th Armored. Saw lots of horrific things but rarely spoke of them he received a Purple heart but I think after the war. He was awarded it due to frostbite. Does anyone have any info on this?

  113. Kathleen McQuade says:

    My father, Jim McQuade, was there. He never talked about his time during the war but when the movie came out he watched it & still didn’t talk about it.

  114. Colleen Bolger says:

    My Dad, John Bolger, was the 87AFABN, known as the Jeopard. He fought n the Battle of the Bulge. I am forever proud of him and grateful to all who served.

  115. Ernie Cail says:

    he never talked about it. I do think he arrived at Bad Orb in bad health and if the camp didn’t get saved by our side, he would have been dead in a few days.

  116. Shelley Brown says:

    My great uncle David Phillip’s died on Jan 6,1945 during the Battle of the Bulge. He was a combat engineer and while laying mines, one exploded. He died instantly, and another soldier died a little while later. My Great Grandmother saved all his letters home and I am lucky to have them all. Sadly I learned a lot from reading this article…he told his Mom that they cooked up “quite a spread” for them, and that they were sleeping in a warm building for Christmas.

  117. ajschure says:

    my mom!s 2of her 6 brothers were there chester radecki was a medic and anthony was a grunt they had not seen each other in over 2 years and ended up in a foxhole together in the battle!both survived but anthony was never the same he was 19 at the time

  118. I remember a stirring account of that day the sun came out after so many days of over-cast fighting told to me in 1961 by a man of Luxembourg that made me so proud of our fighting men. When the Germans made their thrust into the Arden forest. the people of Luxembourg knew they would soon be occupied for a second time and many executions would follow. Gen. Montgomery, the little rat, wanted to pull back to France and regroup, but the prince of Luxembourg personally went to Patton and on his knees begged him not to give up Luxembourg. As we know he did not. Like he said, “I don’t like to pay for the same ground twice. Then my friend told me on Christmas morning as the sun was rising a distant sound of airplane motors was heard that became louder and then to a mighty roar as they drew nearer. He said he along with many others ran out of their houses to look to the sky and when they did, with actual tears of remembrance in his eyes and great emphasis after so many years, he exclaim,the sky was black, Black, BLACK with American bombers. We knew we were saved and the Germans were lost. The people all rejoiced in the street with great happiness and relieve. They never forgot Patton and the men who fought for them; and to this day each grave in the American cemetery is lovingly cared for by a Luxembourg family and Patton who is buried there at the head of his men is celebrated with a parade, flowers and marshal music. God Bless our fighting men who held off odd of 6 to 1 and kicked Ass on behalf of democracy that men might live free and not die slaves.

    • Carl Sell says:

      Couldn’t have said it better! I’m 83 and still free because of them!

    • Rob Teora says:

      Amen! Well said – thank you
      These men who fought, and some who died are The Heroes, In deed of highest Order!

    • maureen connolly says:

      Thank you for sharing this story. Tears actually came to my eyes reading about the folks in Luxembourg coming out of the homes to see our brave pilots flying overhead and knowing that freedom was possible. My Dad served in the Pacific Theatre and his two brothers served in Europe with one in Patton’s army. My mom’s brother was in the Battle of the Bulge. I am so proud of all these fine men – truly proud of them and all of our military. I am so fed up with the PC folks putting down our history, our military and law enforcement. They are cowards.

    • Regarding the story from Gerald Livingston:
      What a stirring story! I’m so glad to have read of the Luxembourg people. My dad was an 18 yr old Seabee in Guam at the time. He never spoke of his time in the jungles of Guam except when he was under the lingering effects of anesthesia in the early 2000’s. It shocked us all to say the least! We will never know all the stories of this time in history. Thanks to the Lord God Almighty who was & is on our side to this day! Thanks again for sharing.

  119. Scott Laugel says:

    My Dad was in the 309th Rifle Regiment attached to the 78th Infantry Division. The 309th was involved in the Battle of the Bulge. The unit saw combat for 43 straight days from December 1944-January 1945. The winter was brutal. The 78th joined the battle in Belgium and pushed through into Germany. The 309th was involved in the Remagen Bridge campaign, Schwammel Dam capture and were able to cross tge Roer River to push the Germans back into the interior of Germany. God bless the troops that battled the Germany Army in unbearable conditions!

    • Karla shropshire says:

      My uncle Joe Verbanick was killed in Germany being a Timber Wolfe and had moved up quickly In the ranks from stories told in February 45 around the Roer(spelling matter be incorrect ) . Thanks for sharing the story and the comments. My dad also being in the army never really talked about his experience in the war. I know at one point he was in Italy and also Okinawa. I just wish I had ask him questions and had written it down.

    • Maria Riordan says:

      The Timberwolf Division is the 104th Infantry Division. My father was one, at the Battle of the Bulge, too. They received a battle star for that engagement.

  120. Douglas Cavanaugh says:

    I wish I would have read this article a year or two ago. I just finished writing a novel in which the main character’s grandfather fights in The Battle of the Bulge in a flashback chapter- one of the book’s longest. I had to rely on Youtube videos and Google searches to research the entire event. I’m wondering how close my descriptions came to the actual event. My book is called The Long Way Around and is in the final proof-reading stages. It should be available on Amazon by the end of January 2020 if anyone is interested. I’d appreciate any feedback. Sorry for the self-promotion but this is a very interesting topic for me.

  121. Susan Neufeldt Warren says:

    My father, Roy Neufeldt, was a tank gunner with 2nd Arm’d Div, Hell on Wheels, and was at the battle. He was 20 years old. A life changing event.

  122. Sal DeRosa says:

    In 1975 I was stationed in Belgium while in the US Air Force. I met a woman who was 15 years older than me there. She was from the Ardennes area of Belgium. She told me of the times during the battles there when she was young 4-6 years old. She recalled them like they were yesterday to her. I cried during most of the stories she told. Her parents worked the underground. Her “favorite” memory was of a US Army soldier that would rock her to sleep each night. She said there were 7-10 soldiers that stayed and defended her parents farm during the battles. Yes, they all survived! I had the privilege and f meeting her parents. They were still thankful 30 plus years later to the Americans that defended them!

    And yes, this young woman and I had a tremendous loving relationship for many years. Though we walked away forever friends, my still love her deeply!!

  123. MaryLouise Stathers says:

    Not to disparage ANY veterans who were valiant during WW2. BUT you’d think by all these replies that the USA was the only country to resist the Axis, Germany & Japan.
    The truth is that Canada’s military joined Britain to protect the west at the war’s beginning, LONG before the USA deigned to join in fighting. The United States of America allowed all our military personnel losses, THEN JOINED THE BATTLE ONLY AT THE VERY LAST!!!!!!! La-de-da!

    • Bob Dickey says:

      Too bad you feel that way. They were all heroes.

    • Dorothy says:

      It’s not our fault that no posts have yet mentioned the contribution of the Canadians. Most of us are just retelling the part our father, grandfather, uncle, or some other relative played. I think you are being oversensitive. If you don’t see any Canadians mentioned, write a post yourself giving them their due but don’t whine because we didn’t say anything.

    • Pam says:

      MaryLouise, You’re wrong in that the US entered near the end of WWII. It was Sept. 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. In May of 1940 Germany turned West to Belgium, Britain & France. France fell in June, 6 weeks later. In June of 1941, Britain joins Soviet Union to attack Germany (Germany had attacked their ally the Soviet Union). Only 6 months after that Japan attacks Pearl Harbor ( Dec., 1941) & US enters the war. This was only 18 months after Britain was bombarded by Germany. We were in the war until May 1945 (Europe) & Sept. 1945 (Pacific). So to say we got in at the last or the end of the war is a bold untruth.

    • Carl Sell says:

      Probably showing your age or lack of proper history taught in school. It also is a fact that many from the US went to Canada to join to war effort against Germany before we declared war. Don’t think the British Empire and France could have defeated Germany without our help. You might start by reading up on the Lend-Lease program in which the US provided the materials for its Allies to wage war.

    • Robert Joseph Becker says:

      MaryLouise, are you trying to rewrite history. Get your facts straight before you start whining. By the way, you ARE disparaging the veterans no matter how you preface your comment. La-de-da and a zippy de do da for good measure!

    • Bunny Clapton says:

      Please folks, I don’t think the brave men from every country who lived and died this battle would approve of the tone of some of these replies, tho the Canadians are sometimes overlooked. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest reading Rick Atkinson’s Liberation trilogy – Guns at Last Light – especially the final volume The War in Western Europe.
      My brother served in the Pacific and was on both the Lexington and the Wasp when they were torpedoed.

    • John Overby says:

      La-de-da my ass lady. Compare Omaha Beach to Gold Beach and count the casualties between the two. How many Canadians were in the Battan March, Midway, or Iwo Jima. Being first did not win the war. My bother-in-law did not come out of his tank below his waist for 43 days in Italy. La-de-dah yourself.

    • David Kennedy says:

      As the son of a Canadian WWII veteran, I am appalled at your comments and attitude. A veteran is a veteran no matter what flag he served under, be it British, American, Canadian, French, Australian or whatever, they all served for a common goal. To defeat Nazi Germany and preserve the freedoms that you enjoy today. They were willing to give up their lives without question. You should be ashamed of yourself and apologize to all veterans regardless of their nationality and to their families for your thoughtless comments.

    • Dorothy says:

      Thank you for speaking up.

    • Bill taylor says:

      Mary Louise

      Read the novel “Churchill”
      It goes into great depth about the war, the English,USA and Canadien involvement. It will give you insight into the whys and wherefores of US eventual involvement,and how Roosevelt had to fight political battles at home while Churchill cajoled and held out with a “never surrender “ attitude till the USA finally joined in the fight

  124. Sarah Grubb says:

    My daddy, Carl McCray, served with the Army as a tank driver and was in the Ardennes battle. He was not wounded during his service and never spoke about his experience.

    • Linda Rusch says:

      I remember my Dad, Gene Riley, who served in the 10th Armored Division, mentioning your father’s name. He didn’t talk much about it, but near the end of his life he wanted to find a soldier that he felt deserved the Medal of Honor, so he shared some names with me. God Bless them both. Dad was 22 at that time.

    • Lee Hoffman says:

      Any information you would share regarding your father and my uncle would be greatly appreciated.

    • Terrence says:

      Thanks

    • Fred Balding says:

      My uncle, Ken Balding – a 36 year old family man, the father of two sons ages 11 and 4 – was an Army railroader who was also in The Battle of the Bulge. He contracted TB during that time and was a disabled veteran until his death ib 1974 @ age 66. My father and mother (Army), along with two more of his brothers (Navy, Marines) all served in different theaters of WW2. Tom Brokaw was right on the money to call that generation “The Greatest Generation.”

    • Karla shropshire says:

      I agree they were the greatest!! No cell phones. No computers no news folks were there with them. My mother said she never knew if my dad was dead or alive- not to say now the folks in the military aren’t great – it was just totally different . I so wish my daddy had talked about it but that’s just the way it was.

  125. William Tucker says:

    I’m age 88. I was the last of 13 siblings. My brother, Leonard Floyd, was in Company A of the three companies of the 413 Anti- Aircraft Battalion. They were to land on Normandy Beach the first day, but couldn’t make it until the second day. He only related a few experiences, but one was about being over-run during the Battle of the Bulge. He talked about how cold it was then and that he was sleeping in the open one night on a cot and that when he woke up, the snow was even with it. He said when the Germans attacked, the Infantry that was supposed to be protecting their dug-in positions got in their trucks and ran. He said that Classiford Muckleroy of another Company, but of their hometown of Star City, Arkansas, and without any training manned their abandoned machine gun and held the Germans off until they could get in their trucks and leave. Classiford was awarded a medal for his action. However, Leonard said several times that if anyone ever deserved a Congressional Medal of Honor, that Classiford did. Their AAA guns were later recovered. The y were then attached to General Patton’s command and became a part of his famous run to the Rhine River where they were stopped. He also said that was mistake. He firmly believed they should have whipped the Russians while they were at it.

  126. Ivan says:

    My father Technical Sgt. 7th Armored Div. Co D, 31st Tank Bat. Light Tanks KIA 21 Jan 1945, near Ligneuville Belgium, May he rest in peace

  127. john says:

    my father served in the 101st and fought in africa to normandy to the bulge. he remembers it as very cold. and the airburst of the artillary clearing the forests. he was wounded but refused to stay in the rear and rejoined the company. he was with the band of brothers.. he never completely got over the war.
    My christmas in 1965 was in vietnam… my christmas in 1967 was in vietnam. I served in the Marines. My sons christmas in 2010 was in Afghanistan. We are all blessed to have survived.

    • Carl Sell says:

      I sincerely appreciate your sacrifices on behalf of your country. Have a Very, Merry Christmas!

    • Laura says:

      May God Bless EACH of you & yours Mightily during this Christmas season & beyond! Thank you does not begin to cover our gratitude to each of you.

  128. Paul Abadie says:

    I read many of these stories of bravery. I was a 1970’s 6 year weekend warrior and I don’t even count my time as meaningful because I was not one of those who fought. My dad and father-in-law were in the Pacific. My uncle was a tank sargeant in Europe but due to separation I never learned of his treks before he died in 1980. My other uncle Sal died in Italy fighting Germans. I am always moved by these stories and the sacrifices, and the immense courage of ALL of these men no matter which theater they fought in. America means everything to me. I hang the flag every day of the year on my porch and my special one on Memorial Day, D-Day, and Pearl Harbor Day. While I taught my own children about these sacrifices, values, and made sure they would not forget, I am saddened as I see today’s generation radicalized from pre-school to college and taught that America is guilty of anything and everything. Saul Alinsky, the Marxists, radical teachers unions and professors, and those who embrace them wish to divide Americans into sub-groups, and have painted an America that attempts to diminish its greatness and courage (of these great, honorable soldiers). As a child of the 50’s we heralded our soldiers. Today’s younger generation are taught that virtually everything that comes out of this country is bad except the latest Nike tennis shoe design. They have no idea how special this country is. Your vote matters as does your teaching the younger generation in your household…..children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. Don’t rely on anyone else to tell America’s story of greatness as history is being re-written one county at a time by the least expensive contract provider of history books (with tales told to generate a George Soros narrative). Do something nice for them when you see someone in uniform.

    • Nancy says:

      Pleases let’s not get political. Brave people fought from both parties. What’s important is to teach our children to honor and respect our soldiers and veterans;my father in England and father-in-law in the Pacific in WWII,both deceased. My husband was lucky enough to serve in Germany during the Vietnam War. Respect them all ,and if the school books don’t tell their stories,we need to.Thank you all for you and your families’ sacrifices.

    • Von Hardenberg says:

      Sorry Nancy, the truth is that we are fighting a real battle right now for our nation’s survival. I don’t want the men who died for our freedom to have been wasted because you can’t see the battle going on today for the minds of our children. Paul has it right. I spent 20 in the USAF and 20 in America’s schools, and what I saw happening with our kids scared me more than the rockets and artillery attacks of combat in RVN. Sorry, the idea that we can be apolitical is foolish. You need to take a critical look at today’s battle ground, the university campuses and in the public school classrooms both elementary and secondary.

    • Carl Sell says:

      Right On! And we all need to stand up and put a stop to the foolishness that those who want to control or kill us will be nice if we just talk to them. Start with the schools. Federal control has ruined our education system. Parents need to take back control.

    • Pam says:

      You are so very correct sir. If all of us who had friends and family fight for our freedoms against tyranny, we have to engage in the war for our kids. They’ve been taught lies about our founders, our country and our history. If we don’t fight this deliberate attempt to undermine our constitution we’ll lose our nation and it won’t be long

  129. William C. Schaffner says:

    My name is William C Schaffner. My uncle Paul Carl Schaffner was at the Battle of The Bulge, but I am having great difficulty finding any info on him. Any help or ideas would be much appreciated. God Bless America!

  130. B Claire Grubb says:

    My father. Cpl Bruce C. Grubb of the 84th Infantry was killed near Bastogne Christmas Day 1944. He was 33 years. I was born June 5 1945. He had been “over there” for only a month.

    • Gsyey says:

      I’m so sorry got your loss. Please accept my sympathies and gratitude for your father’s sacrifice.

  131. Lee Hoffman says:

    My uncle, Guy Hoffman, is also 100 years old and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He told me of when a Lt. came out of the officers tent and told him to drive a Jeep and take a certain road. They did and drove right through a German camp and surprised everyone in it. They kept going and eventually turned around only to go back the same road and through the same German camp. This time they shot at them but made it safely through. He was also in a barn hiding with other solders when a German tank drove past. Brave men all of them. He was in the 101st Airborne.

  132. Dan in Ohio says:

    As an American, I was taught that we fought that war to save the world.
    As an adult I have found out that we fought that war to save Joseph Stalin and to save the world for communism. I mourn all our Americans killed in that unnecessary war.
    Major general Smedley Butler was right in his book: “war is a racket.“ You can read it for free online at
    Warisaracket.com

    • Joan Howard says:

      In this comment I would have to disagree with you. Yes, war can be “a racket” if fought for the wrong reasons. But to save a people from genocide is not a bad reason. We went to stop the a people (and anyone who tried to help them) from being murdered, being used human guinea pigs, and anything else that they could think of to torture them. We went to try to stop one group of people from taking over the world. My uncle fought in Africa and Italy for over 3 years in this war. My father (being younger) was trained for Japan but was sent to Germany. He like many others did not talk about the war but I did see a flash back. We were having a blizzard with thunder and lightning. He was waking through the house saying “It is just like there, It is just like there”. My father was with the 1st artillery division. So the noise, flashes of light, and snow sent his mind back to Germany.

      Please do not dishonor my father nor the people that fought in this war by saying it was a mistake to be there doing their duty to protect our way of life.

      In the farewell papers my father received upon discharge, there is a lengthily letter stating that we must keep our eyes open and be involved in our local and well as national governments to ensure people of good morals and character are serving the people as they should.
      Thank you to all Veterans in all wars.

  133. Ron Oliver says:

    My father in law Carl Doxsie served with Patton through seven major campaigns, starting in North Africa. He was at the Bulge and told of finding a way to hinge plywood together for portable shelter for the men to help against the cold (he had previously suggested a way our tanks could cut their way through the hedge rows at Normandy). A depression era 10th grade dropout, he was an inventor and creative do it yourselfer his entire 92 yrs. He was awarded the Bronze star.

  134. James E McBride says:

    My dad was killed in Metz on the day it was liberated, shortly before the Battle of the Bulge began. My uncle, now 100, is an ace with 9 confirmed and 4 probables in the Pacific. He retired as a Radm. I was in Vietnam, my 2 sons are Marines. The youngest is still in, A Capt serving at this time with special forces. I no longer watch NFL games because of the gross disrespect displayed by the PLAYers. They should not be idolized in any way. They are not heroes.

  135. Frank says:

    My father, Isadore Meitzler, fought the Nazis from North Africa into Anzio Italy. and on into Germany. At one point, healing an injury, he was Gen. Patton’s driver. Then, in the fall of 1944, while home on leave (again dealing with yet another combat injury) the family was notified that his younger brother, my uncle James Meitzler, was killed at the very start of the Battle Of The Bulge. I was not born until the 1960’s and never knew my brave and dutiful uncle James except as a beloved hero. What I do know is that Christmas 1944 was a difficult one in my father’s rural Eastern Pennsylvania home. James was a brave tank driver and part of a tank destroyer battalion. He died valiantly during an intense tank battle in a small Belgian town near the Ardennes. God bless you James ❤️ in February WE WILL be celebrating your 100th birthday, even though 24 birthdays is all you got. God bless you and all who served, our blessings of freedom today are due to your sacrifice then.

  136. George Mayo says:

    My father in law did not talk much about his service in Europe. Our general impression was he did not see action because he was a motor pool mechanic. One Christmas day twenty years ago or so, we had some very cold weather. My brother in law and I were in the den with him discussing the weather. He just mentioned that the coldest he had ever been was at Bastogne. He never said anything else about it.

    • Peggy Cassidy says:

      My father never talked much about his WWII service either. One Christmas Eve, we were sitting around the table after our family dinner enjoying coffee and anisette. Suddenly my Dad said, “45 years ago tonight, I was sitting in the snow outside of Celle watching Patton’s tanks roll by.” We all looked at each other, I quietly said “Dad” twice, then again and shook his arm to bring him back. For those few minutes he truly was in France, and not with us.

    • Peggy Cassudy says:

      Correction : My error, Celles is in Belgium.

  137. Beth says:

    Does anyone remember Capt. Dr. Kenneth Ockermann, a doctor right out of medical school that was at Normandy and then at the Battle of the Bulge where he was injured. His records along with many others in the Army burned while stored in St. Louis.

  138. John Overby says:

    La-de-da my ass lady. Compare Omaha Beach to Gold Beach and count the casualties between the two. How many Canadians were in the Battan March, Midway, or Iwo Jima. Being first did not win the war. My bother-in-law did not come out of his tank below his waist for 43 days in Italy. La-de-dah yourself.

  139. Joan Broglie Moore says:

    My father died on December 24, 1944 at the Battle of The Bulge. I was six months old. We have never been able to find much information about his military records as they were destroyed in a fire in St Louis. If anyone remembers the name George S. Broglie from Baltimore Maryland I would love to hear from you. Thanks

  140. Sharon May Thasen says:

    My dad Burnie May, served under Gen Patton in the Battle of the Bulge. I asked him once about his memories of the war and he started to tell me about one particular incident and then he stopped and teared up and couldn’t finish his story. In respect, I never mentioned it again. He passed away in 2013 and I miss him terribly and greatly appreciate his service to the greatest country in the world.

  141. Bev Pacio says:

    My beloved father fought in The Battle of the Bulge. Growing up I recall several stories my father felt comfortable telling us. He remarked how very cold it was and his life and that of his servicemen were distinctly spared on two occasions. One night a group of men from the Lorraine Division bunked out in a barn. My father awoke to relieve himself and as he opened the barn door, he was face to face with an armed German soldier. My father slammed the door in his face, woke his buddies, exiting milliseconds before a German panzer blew up the building. On another occasion, my father and several other men were trapped in a French/Belgium basement. German soldiers were very meticulous in searching out buildings for enemy combatants, but this time the soldier opened the basement door, patted a resident dog on his head and left. My dad never forgot that. He distinctly remembers that lone hand patting the dog’s head. He also recalled the Germans were so close in one of his battles that all that separated him and the enemy was a rose hedge. Their artillery had to pretty much be directed almost straight up. He sadly told us that the German army during this battle was made up of young boys and old men. I could tell this bothered him. Oh how I wished I had paid more attention to his stories. I had known he received a Purple Heart of which I was so proud, but several months ago my brother informed me that Melvin John Paul Gunther, an infantry man, my dad, had earned 2 Purple Hearts, 3 Bronze Stars, and a French Medal of Honor. After the war as his return ship approached New York Harbor, the vision of Lady Liberty was too much to bear. There was not a dry eye as each serviceman appreciated the beautiful country they sacrificed so much for. As with others, his records are limited due to the fire. According to my mother, my dad suffered PTSD for a few years upon his return and I was a hold out until he could readjust to civilian life. It is highly unlikely anyone is alive that served with him, but should there be, I would love to learn more.

  142. Linda says:

    My grandfather Joseph William “BUD” Nichols made it through Normandy only to die in the Battle of the Bulge. I still have letters he sent my father from Iceland, England and France. The saddest one is FROM my dad to his and is marked “Return to Sender”. Daddy was 11.
    If anyone remembers Joseph, I’d dearly love to hear from you!

  143. Mary Roberts says:

    Thank you Daniel. Sadly our country doesn’t teach history as it should. I have even seen “blogs” saying they don’t understand why these men were part of and called “the greatest generation”. After all, look what their generation has accomplished since. That’s the thing exactly, they achieved their feats without all the modern “toys” they have now. Let them try to build an Empire State Building in three years, hell it would take that long to get all the necessary permits today! Send your children to Hillsdale College, even take the free classes they have online, then maybe they begin to understand that they WERE “the greatest generation” then, now and probably always will be! Thank God (and these phenomenal soldiers) we can still speak english.

  144. Randall says:

    Let’s be accurate about KIA’s. 42000 Canadians died in World War II whereas over 414,000 Americans died. Every one of them sacrificed their all for us. We have allowed liberal teachers and professors to rewrite history watering down the truth. I had an uncle to have died in World War II, one Uncle wounded four times, an uncle whose feet were frozen at Bastogne. My father fought in three theaters in the Pacific having contracted malaria that he fought for 20 years after he came home. I had a father-in-law that fought with Patton’s third Army winning a bronze metal for Valor. We should all listen to the truth and honesty of what actually happened. Do not allow liberal rewrites to infest the classrooms. There are very few movies that accurately tell of the GI plight in World War II like the Diary of GI Joe . God Bless America and God bless Canada. I am a Nam era veteran. We will always have to fight for our freedoms. Let’s never forget those who have sacrificed for our countries Freedom’s. If we placidly set back there will be no future Freedom’s. As one person has already suggested, God Almighty has always placed his hand on this wonderful country. Please, let’s not forget our wonderful for Father’s sacrifices.

  145. Jill says:

    My grandfather was the captain of the 770 field artillary battery b. He served in the Battle of the Bulge too. He was fortunate. His men found stacks of trimmed logs in the forest just outside of Lascheid Belgium. He thought they were probably there to be used for telegram poles. There were two men in his unit that knew how to build log cabins. They quickly built some and were able to get out of the snow for a few weeks. They couldn’t use fire or lights and had to remain very silent but he felt this helped him live through the cold. Unfortunately once they broke through the line and were in Germany he was seriously injured. They were assigned to clean up a mine field. One of his men felt he could dismantle a mine but blew himself up along with my grandfather. My grandfather was taken to a medical aid station where he was left. He was able to get men to transfer him to the hospital where he received the help that saved his life. 6 months later he finally came home.

    My grandmother said she received a telegraph that he was “seriously wounded” but that was all she knew until my grandfather was able to call her weeks later.

    Later when he had a total knee replacement, they found even more shrapnel 50 years later.

    I can’t even imagine having to fight and survive in the freezing snow with very little food or shelter. I am so grateful to the men that served! I am especially grateful to those who saved my grandfather!
    God bless them!

    • Karla shropshire says:

      I was told my uncle was shot in the back at the river roehr( spelling not correct ) which was really like a creek . I forget the exact date but have it in my records. Yes it is sad what they went thru just to survive

  146. Lee Aldridge says:

    I was too young to be a member of the “greatest generation” but my father was as were all my uncles. Most were infantry but one was a B-17 pilot and one was in the Navy in the Pacific. My dad was seriously injured during the Battle of the Bulge and spent the next few months in the American Hospital in Paris before coming home. My uncle, the pilot, was shot down over Germany and was a POW before escaping and being returned to England thanks to the French Resistance. None of them were very interested in talking about the war but never hesitated to remind me that serving one’s country was an honor! I went on to serve 33 years in the US Air Force, retiring as a colonel after serving during Vietnam, Kosovo and Desert Storm. Looking at today’s youth, I will proffer that serving in the military today is a responsibility, not just an honor!

    • Sharon Sides says:

      Thank you so much for your entire family’s service in all the many areas of war and for your sacrifices .
      Your father would be proud and I am personally grateful.

  147. Michele says:

    Patricia, I have searched hundreds and hundreds of books. I actually have quite a library of vintage books as well. I have been looking solid for almost 3 years. I have gone to WWII museums and have been on endless phone calls. My next trip will be to the Archives in Maryland. My grandfather was Sgt. Jack Cleaver. 28th Infantry Division 112th Infantry Regiment.

  148. Connie says:

    Like your parents who were there and saw the horrific things but didn’t talk about it, my mother was a Nurse with the First Army and she was there as well. She would not talk about those battles either. Occasionally she would share something about working 24-48 hrs in surgery with no rest; hearing the “buzz bombs,” etc. She was in 8 different battles and her units were captured by the Germans twice. She did have nightmares for a long time on returning home. I wish we could get more information about the Army Nurse Corp.

  149. Connie says:

    Randall, I totally agree with you! Not only are they not teaching correct history in school, they are even teaching lies–the Holocaust did not happen, etc. We must teach our children and grandchildren the truth! Thank you for serving in Vietnam. Both my parent served in the Army–my Mom, Lt. Reba Green, in Europe and my Dad, Sgt. Raymond Hammock, in the Aleutian Islands. My husband served in the Air Nat’l Guard as a Firefighter, though he retired. My Son also volunteered as a Firefighter but died in a car accident before he made any decision about joining the Armed Services. I greatly honor our Vets, Firefighters, and Police, who go into danger everyday to protect our freedom. You ALL are HEROS!

  150. Michele says:

    Patricia, yes, I love Ancestry! Thank you and I hope at some point I can say I found the picture.

  151. Thank you to all our Veterans, from every allied nation who fought with us ! As a Native American with a long family history of Veterans in multiple wars in various theatres for America, I have a tremendous respect for all who served. When I read these stories of the battle of the bulge, I am moved with emotion and pride of the many brave servicemen and women who served our country. I add these memories to the history in my mind to where we are today as a nation. Two Canadian stories are included in this mental collection, Dieppe in WW2 and the Halifax explosion during WW 1. Though there are of course many more, I am grateful for all the sacrifices made by our great nations and by the many Veterans who paid the highest cost for the freedoms we all have today. As a protestant Pastor, I thank all who served, I do what I do because you did what you did in service to your country !

  152. Annette says:

    This is why we stand with hand over heart and pledge allegiance to our flag and sing the National Anthem with gratitude and reverence. It is also why I think those that take a knee have a right to but are spoiled, ungrateful, and disgusting people.

  153. Roy McCorkle says:

    Your article left out the deaths of 800 men of the 66th Division who died on Christmas Eve when their ship the S.S. Leopolville was sunk in the English Channel by a German U-Boat. The 66th was the only division left in England and after the German attack they were being rushed to France. Though they were within 5 miles of Cherbourg Harbor. Rescue efforts were delayed because rescue personnel were out partying. The men who went into the water could not last more then 30 minutes in the freezing water. This incident was covered up by the American high command for months.

    • Norman Rosenblatt says:

      Thank you, Roy McCorkle, for bringing that incident to light. I found a thorough review of that horrible sinking, please click on this link for the story:

      https://uboat.net/history/leopoldville.htm

      Did you have a family member on the S.S. Leopoldville?

    • Gaye Willis says:

      My husband’s uncle, Waldo Willis, perished the night. It is such a sad story!

      Thank you for sharing the link. This story needs to be told.

    • Ruth Kendall says:

      Roy McCorkle – In researching this war while writing a piece about the men from Chickasaw County, Mississippi, who paid the ultimate price, I learned that Audie Carter, a young country boy from Pyland, was on this ship and of course lost his life. When my husband and I got to digging, we learned that William D. Sykes, (another Pyland boy) died on the USS Yorktown, my husband’s uncle (John C. Kendall) died when the merchant ship he was on was destroyed in the Irish Sea by a German torpedo in late August, 1944. Sherman Higginbotham, another from Pyland/Thorn area, died on the USS Monaghan in Dec. of ’44. Our search was an eye-opener – 4 young men who grew up, as I wrote, “in spittin’ distance of each other” died at sea. We knew nothing about the USS Leopoldville until we began this search. I agree with you that someone should have been held responsible for this tragecy. AND – there were McCorkles in Chickasaw County. Do you have roots here?? Thanks.

    • Roy McCorkle says:

      I am not familiar with any McCorkle’s in Mississippi.
      My father Roy Jr. was one of the men who went down with the ship. He was one month shy of his 19th birthday.
      In Feb. 1945 my grandmother received a letter from Mrs. J. E. Mortimer, Winona, Miss. no street address. She wrote to ask if my grandmother had heard anything about what happened in the sinking of the ship as her only son, James Emmett Mortimer was also missing and was on the same ship.
      You can read more about the sinking on the internet under S.S. Leopoldville or 66th Division. There are also several books on the sinking.
      Roy

  154. Thanks to our soldiers who pushed back the
    Bulge.”

    Your service to your country should and will always be remembered.

    An Army Veteran

  155. John Torres says:

    My Father was a member of the 101st Airborne Division Screaming Eagles.
    463rd Field Artillery unit, he maned a 50 Cal Manchine gun.
    He told me that they did not take Christmas Day off, in fact Hitler wanted the surrounded town of Bastogne for Christmas. But the 101st and others held their ground and denined Hitler request for the capture of Bastogne.
    They knew it was do or die once his Commander told the German Commander,
    NUTS, when ask to surrender the town of Bastogne.

    Very Proud Son and God Bless them All !!!

  156. John N. Englesby says:

    My uncle, Leslie Winsand, a young dairy farmer from rural, west-central WI, was also in the Bulge at Bastogne with the 101st. He was a sergeant and a glider infantryman, who always had trouble afterwards with his feet, because they were so damaged by prolonged exposure to the extreme cold.

  157. Kathleen Worthington says:

    My father, Norman C Shoop, was in the Battle of the Bulge. He didn’t talk much about it but, “Damn, it was cold”. My husband and I went to Bastogne with a Boy Scout Troop one year, about 1986. A local came out and asked us if our dad’s were here, and I told him that my dad was. He wanted to take us home, feed us and tell us about it. The locals still appreciate of what those solders did.

  158. Lupe Salain says:

    Thank you to all our great veterans for standing in the gap and fighting for our freedom. God Bless You All!✝️

  159. Robert Farney says:

    I don’t know if the photo of GIs in chow line in the snow is from Thanksgiving or Christmas, 1944. But I believe there was a tragedy associated with the Thanksgiving dinner. Eisenhower announced that every GI would receive a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day. This meant that many of the GIs had to return to central mess points to receive the meal. Eisenhower’s staff advised against this meal as it would concentrate GIs in assembly points known to the Germans who could inflict heavy causality just when the most GIs were gather together. Eisenhower persisted, however, and exactly as feared, German artillery pounded US mess points inflicting heavy causalities. Like the sinking of the Leopoldville, the Thanksgiving Day causalities were not made known to the public at the time.

  160. Dannie Ross says:

    my father Frank Ross fought at the bulge, crossed the Roer, the Rhine and the Elbe.
    He was a combat engineer in the 84th infantry division under Major General A.R. Bolling … enjoy your site

  161. Phillip Yeager says:

    Sgt Norman L Rigdon, Co F, 262nd Infantry Regiment of the 66th Infantry Division was on the Leopoldville on December 24th when it left Southhampton at 9AM. His unit was in the area where the torpedo struck and his body was never recovered. His older brother, Elmer and my father, Emmett Yeager, were together in a foxhole in the Ardennes on Christmas Day when Elmer received notice that Norman was missing in action. They were all friends from Farmington Missouri. After the war ended, they were part of a group that founded a VFW Post in Farmington, the Norman L. Rigdon Post #5896.

  162. VERA MCHALE says:

    It will never quit bringing tears to my eyes. It didn’t end when Hitler died. The scars it left were eternal.

  163. Frances Weber says:

    My Mother’s brother was killed in the Battle of the Bulge. All of her siblings have passed but I remember him and remember his funeral when his BODY was returned. I remember how sad a situation this was. Now at 83 years of age, I have so many questions. After seeing the movie about “The Band of Brothers,” I feel that he may have been killed while he was hungry and cold. We was the one of 3 brothers that left his job at a bank to go into the army. His 2 brothers were more athletic and returned home after the war. I will always remember him because he brought me a silver medal and chain when he came home on his last furlough. Before that Christmas was killed my Grandmother helped me write a letter to him. I know he survived Christmas because he wrote a letter to the family and said he had Christmas Dinner with a French Family and so much enjoyed being at a table with a white Tablecloth. In January after he was killed, his personal effects were returned. The letter I wrote to him was included with them. Before my grandmothers died, she gave that letter back to me. I still have that letter! Now I am writing my life story and will include as much information as I can about him as I can. Thanks so much for all those who will help us to know more about “ The Battle of the Bulge.”

  164. Kathy Worthington says:

    My Mom received a message that my Dad had died just to receive a message later that he did not.

  165. Konnie says:

    My stepdad, Al G. Boeger, fought and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. Like most of the men who returned from WWII, he didm’t talk about his war experiences for many years.

    I believe he was 19 when he landed on the beach on D-Day.

    I wish he was still alive to see the coverage and recognition that the 75th anniversary of the Bulge is having. He would have been very proud. He was in the 99th Infantry Division.