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| Battle of the Bulge veterans render honors to the nation during the playing of the National Anthem during a ceremony commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge Dec. 16, at the Luxembourg American Cemetary, which is the resting place of 5,076 American servicemen and women from the first and second World War. |
DIEKIRCH,
Luxembourg -- Sixty years ago, during the waning days of World War
II, the Allied front had a weak link in the Benelux region. On the
morning of Dec. 16, 1944, the German Army attacked that front in a final
effort to reverse the tide of the war.
The campaign, the battles that ensued and
the men and women who fought them, earned a place in history during the
Battle of the Bulge.
"The Battle of the Bulge was cruel,
fierce, barbaric and brut, it was the German dictator's attempt to
reverse the irreversible," said Luxembourg Prime Minister
Jean-Claude Juncker.
"What a waste of human lives. The
Battle of the Bulge resulted in the killing of more than 50,000 Soldiers
and civilians with 80,000 more wounded and 35,000 captured or missing.
So many lives destroyed, so many destinies ruined, so many children
never born because their father did not come home.
"The people of Luxembourg have never
forgotten and will never forget the sacrifice made by young American GIs
and British soldiers for their country, their freedom, their future and
for the restoration of democracy and peace on the European
continent."
To honor those who gave their lives, and
the one's who lived through the battles, U.S. Army Europe supported
a series of public ceremonies in Belgium and Luxembourg Dec. 15-19, by
organizing and leading a joint task force of more than 300 active and
reserve Soldiers, sailors and airmen.
"We're grateful to the people of
Belgium and Luxembourg for taking this opportunity to thank the American
Soldiers who fought to liberate them 60 years ago," said Maj. Gen.
David Zabecki, USAREUR deputy chief of staff for Mobilization and
Reserve Affairs and commander of Task Force Ardennes 60. "Local
organizers and members of the task force both realize that the surviving
veterans in attendance will be the true VIPs at every event."
Task Force servicemembers are being
encouraged to seek out interaction with the more than 90 veterans who
made the journey from their homes to this region to commemorate the tasks
they accomplished so many years before.
"I'm paying my respects to the
veterans, talking to them," said Spc. Tarenzo Clemmons, driver for
the 200th Materiel Management Center command sergeant major. "They
fought for me and they did what they had to do, and because they did
what they had to do, I'm standing here right now."
Clemens was a member of the American Army
honor guard during the "National" commemoration of the
"Battle of the Ardennes" hosted by the government of
Luxembourg, Dec. 16, which was held at the Luxembourg American Cemetery.
Another member of the honor guard, Pvt.
Anahita Shirazi, generator mechanic for the 21st Theater Support
Command, talked about the mission and the impact meeting the veterans
had on her and other Soldiers. "It's all fun and games on the bus,
but when you come out here and see the graves and the veteran, it's not
so fun any more, it hits you in the heart.
"A lot of us are cold, but it's
nothing like what they went through 60 years ago. It's nothing compared
to anything we've ever done, even in Iraq."
The winter of 1944-45 was a historic time
in Luxembourg, "For 40 days the fighting raged through some of the
coldest, snowiest weather remembered in the Ardennes, indeed the coldest
in 100 years," said Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Army Daniel
Denning, who spoke at a gathering of veterans and community members in
the town of Clervaux, Luxembourg.
"Numbers and dates don't explain the
bitter desperation of this battle and the unbelievable tenacity of the
American Soldier," Denning continued. "But, surrounded and
facing what must have seemed most certain defeat, they stood their
ground and did their duty."
The veterans of the battle who have been
in attendance at many of the 16 scheduled ceremonies, also took notice
of the servicemembers, who along with local organizers, commemorate the
60th anniversary.
"It makes me feel good to see the
quality of young people we have passed the torch to. I'm sure our
country will be safe with (today's military)," said Katherine
Nolan, an Army Nurse with the 53rd Field Hospital during the Battle of
the Bulge.
The Task Force Ardennes 60 is comprised
of members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, which formed
joint color and honor guards. Musical support was provided by the
6th Fleet Band, Naples and the 76th Army Band, Mannheim, Germany.
Additionally, key ceremonies had color guards and command representatives from three U.S.-based units
with significant historical ties to the Battle of the Bulge: the 3rd
U.S. Army, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the Army
Reserve's 99th Regional Readiness Command, successor of the 99th
Infantry Division.
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