World War II veteran Dennis Bolt throws nuts to a crowd as part of the annual Battle of the Bulge commemorations in Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 14, 2024. He is joined by Belgium's Queen Mathilde, left, and King Philippe, far right. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
BASTOGNE, Belgium — Some of the last living American veterans of World War II on Saturday met with world leaders and many other admirers as they recounted how the Allies braved subfreezing temperatures to blunt the final Nazi offensive, which began 80 years ago on Monday.
The Battle of the Bulge ceremonies in Belgium and Luxembourg capped a series of major remembrances in Europe this year, including the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June and other liberation milestones.
The 17 veterans, who are either centenarians or in their late 90s now, were honored along with their fallen comrades in the bitterly fought Ardennes Campaign, where over 19,000 American troops lost their lives.
“I want people to remember not only what we went through but what it was all for,” David Marshall, 100, said on the sidelines of celebrations in Bastogne.
Marshall recalled fighting in heavy snow and without warm clothing. The cold was as deadly as the Nazis, he said.
“I went into the war as a naive 20-year-old from New York,” Marshall said. “After the Battle of the Bulge, I was a veteran soldier.”
Battle of the Bulge U.S. veteran David Marshall salutes during a ceremony in Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 14, 2024, to mark 80 years since the famed World War II engagement. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Named for the shape the German advance carved into Allied lines, the battle began Dec. 16, 1944, as Adolf Hitler launched a last-ditch counteroffensive in Western Europe.
Despite initial chaos, stiff resistance by American units and reinforcements led to an Allied victory by January 1945. The battle’s human toll was staggering, with over 19,000 American deaths, 47,500 wounded and 23,000 missing or captured.
German forces suffered similar casualties and civilians in the Ardennes endured their own losses and hardships.
Bastogne, a strategic crossroads town and a symbol of Allied resistance during the battle, hosted the largest commemorations Saturday.
A parade included over a dozen World War II veterans who were wheeled through the streets to applause and waving American flags. Active-duty American and Belgian soldiers also participated.
Active-duty U.S. soldiers parade through the streets of Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 14, 2024, to mark 80 years since the Battle of the Bulge. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
American World War II veterans brave snow and near-freezing temperatures to attend 80th anniversary commemorations in Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 14, 2024. Remembrance ceremonies for soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Bulge were held in Belgium and Luxembourg. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A young boy waves an American flag during a Battle of the Bulge commemoration in Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 14, 2024. This year is the 80th anniversary of the World War II battle. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Joseph R. Picard, who fought as a 19-year-old with the 552nd Field Artillery Battalion, remembered the brutal conditions made worse by the loss of his best friend just weeks before the battle.
“The important thing is that we succeeded,” Picard said. “You don’t remember all the bad things; you remember the good things.”
However, he lamented a lack of awareness about World War II among younger Americans.
“They don’t know much about it,” he said. “And you know what they say: If you don’t keep the story alive, it’s going to happen again. We don’t want it to happen again.”
Following the parade, the veterans joined government officials and the royal families of Belgium and Luxembourg in throwing nuts to crowds from a snowy balcony at Bastogne’s town hall.
The annual celebration recalls Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe’s famous one-word reply to a German surrender demand: “Nuts!”
The Army’s 101st Airborne Division defense of Bastogne while being surrounded became a defining moment of the battle. The unit’s current soldiers were prominently featured in the commemoration Saturday.
Among them was Capt. Alex Rodriguez, a judge advocate, who honored his great-uncle, a 101st veteran of the Battle of the Bulge.
“It’s something that I wanted to do for as long as I can remember, and to be able to come here as a member of the 101st Airborne is unbelievable,” Rodriguez said.
Earlier this year, the 101st conducted air assault drills during D-Day commemorations, stepping beyond their usual ceremonial roles. With fewer living WWII veterans, the responsibility of keeping the memory of World War II alive is increasingly falling to current soldiers.
Isabeau Muys, from Flanders, said her family travels to Bastogne annually and will continue to do so even when there is no living link to the war.
“We will still come to remember what they did and what happened,” Muys said. “Now, I’m here with my parents, and when I have children, I expect to be here with them too.”
Earlier Saturday, a ceremony was held at the Luxembourg American Cemetery in Luxembourg City, where more than 5,000 U.S. service members are buried, including Gen. George S. Patton.
That ceremony was attended by a large bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, many of whom it was noted family connections to World War II.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, recalled his father who conducted B-17 bombing missions.
“The significance of this battle must serve as a reminder that freedom is never free and that democracies around the world must rally to the cause of freedom when it is under attack,” McCaul said. “It is our duty to preserve what these men fought for.”
One of the U.S. veterans at the Luxembourg ceremony, John D. “Jack” Foy, assured the crowd that the sacrifices of the soldiers who died in the battle wouldn’t be forgotten.
“I remember the bitter cold, the weight of my machine gun, and the faces of my brothers in arms — ordinary men who displayed extraordinary courage,” said Foy, 99. “Together we fought for freedom, step by painful step.”
“To those who come after us,” he added, “may you always remember that the freedom you cherish came at a terrible cost.”
John Foy, a U.S. veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, speaks at a ceremony at Luxembourg American Cemetery on Dec. 14, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri speaks at a ceremony at Luxembourg American Cemetery on Dec. 14, 2024. European and U.S. dignitaries gathered along with veterans to commemorate the WWII Battle of the Bulge, which began 80 years ago. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. soldiers with the 529th Military Police Company (Honor Guard) perform a cannon salute during a ceremony at Luxembourg American Cemetery on Dec. 14, 2024, to mark 80 years since the Battle of the Bulge. More than 5,000 U.S. service members are buried at the cemetery, many of whom died during the battle. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
A member of Luxembourg’s military band waits to play the "Band of Brothers" theme along with the 101st Airborne Division band during a Battle of the Bulge remembrance ceremony at Luxembourg American Cemetery on Dec. 14, 2024. (Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was part of the delegation but suffered an injury in Luxembourg that required hip replacement surgery and transport Saturday to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
At a separate ceremony Friday at Bastogne’s Battle of the Bulge memorial, speakers, including members of the U.S. delegation and Belgian Foreign Minister Bernard Quintin, drew parallels between the Battle of the Bulge and Ukraine’s ongoing fight in the present day against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“As we honor the memory of so many young soldiers who fell for the freedom of Europe, how can we not think of the Ukrainian soldiers today dying in the snow and frozen mud to defend their country against an unprovoked war of aggression?” Quintin said.
