Bulge Memory – Originally published in The Bulge Bugle^® Winter 2020.

We were sent to Belgium after fighting many battles in France. We ended up in St. Vith which was supposed to be a “Rest Area” for our troops.

On the night of December 16 or 17th, we heard the huge buildup of armor across the valley. The following night, about three Sherman tanks attacked one or two tigers which were visible from our vantage point. The Sherman’s were running circles around them but were eventually knocked out by superior Tigers. It was like the 4th of July and we had a good seat. Little did we know what was about to come.

All of a sudden the barrage started and never seemed to let up, as their 88s poured into us. Many of our men were hit and were calling “Dick, I’m hit!” (not “Medic!”). I had trained with all of these men and was assigned to the 1st Platoon so they all knew me.

A man from New Bedford, MA was hit in the chest and was bleeding badly, so I crawled over to him and bandaged him up as best I could and they evacuated him. I didn’t give him much hope to make it. (Several years later after the war, I was walking down the streets of Boston with my sister when a man and a friend stopped us and introduced me to his friend as the guy that saved his life. I was speechless, I thought he was dead). Several others were KIA or WIA and I treated them to the best I could under the circumstances.

We were told to evacuate on the 21st of December, and we congregated on a hill about 20 miles behind the German lines with Col. Riggs. Riggs gave us three options: 1) fight out enforce, 2) break up into squads and try to work our way through the lines, or 3) retreat in the deep woods and wait for a counter attack. The vote was taken, and much to the dismay of Col. Riggs, #2 was elected. (Note: Most of the GIs had already destroyed their firearms so #1 would have been useless).

I was in the first squad to leave and eventually we were surrounded by Germans. My days as a POW began.

Many years later at the 168th reunion, our Battalion was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation and the Belgian Croix de Guerre (war cross). Both awards recognize the 168th for their stubborn defense of St. Vith Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. The 168th held the pivotal communication center against a larger German force for seven days before being ordered to retreat.

Richard Lewis survived 4 months of German POW camps and suffered from frozen feet which were saved with penicillin after liberation April 6, 1944. Later on he graduated from business college and was named Business Administrator for a private high school for girls. He later owned and operated a retail variety store for 15 years until his retirement. His first wife Virginia died in 1995, and he has since married Mary, with whom he lives in Florida.

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