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BOBA in the Community: Presentation on the Arsenal of Democracy, Gettysburg Public Library

Despite occasional shortages, mostly due to transportation bottlenecks, the American GI in WWII was undoubtedly theist supportedlied soldier ever. And the British, Free French, Russian, and other Allied soldiers were just about as well supplied. BOBA’s editor will be describing how this happened, from the early days of rearmament tooth endif the war and beyond. Tonight at 6:30, Adams County Public Library.

How much we produced (an inconceivable amount) and how we did it. This was a real trip down memory lane. My turf as a Senate staffer was the Defense Production Act, the mobilization act for the Korean War. I spent about three years early in my consulting career studying this issue and even met with some of the whiz kids who managed the effort in World War II. A great story and a lot of information.

The Bulge Soldier

This excerpt from a speech given at the 2001 35th Division reunion by Brig. Gen. William Carlson provides a fine description of the role of the American GI in this brutal battle.

The speech is found on the Division association’s outstanding and comprehensive web page.

http://www.35thinfdivassoc.com/Ardennes/carlson_speech.shtml

“The real story of the Battle of the Bulge is the story of these soldiers and the intense combat action of the small units: the squads, the platoons, the companies, and the soldiers who filled their ranks. For the most part they were children of the 20’s – citizen soldiers, draftees – young men hardly more than boys.

“Resourceful, tough, and tempered as hard as steel in the crucible of the Great Depression, these men were as tough as the times in which they were raised. These are the men who made up the fighting strength of the divisions, carried out the orders of the Generals and engaged the Germans in mortal combat: 

Battalion commanders and Company commanders — young, lean, tough, battle-wise and toil-worn.

And Second lieutenants – newly minted officers and gentlemen, some still sporting peach fuzz on their upper lips – too young to require a razor. 

And Grizzly NCO’s with faces chiseled and gaunt by the gnawing stress of battle and the rigors of a soldier’s life in combat. 

And seasoned troopers, scroungy and unkempt, but battle-hardened, competent and disciplined in the automatic habits of war never learned in school. …

The battle was very personal for them. Concerned with the fearful and consuming task of fighting and staying alive, these men did not think of the battle in terms of the ‘Big Picture’ represented on the situation maps at higher headquarters. They knew only what they could see and hear in the chaos of the battle around them. They knew and understood the earth for which they fought, the advantage of holding the high ground and the protection of the trench or foxhole. They could distinguish the sounds of the German weffers and the screaming sound of incoming German 88’s. …

They knew the overwhelming loneliness of the battlefield, the feeling of despair, confusion and uncertainty that prevails in units in retreat. And they knew that feeling of utter exhaustion — the inability of the soldier’s flesh and blood to continue on, yet they must, or die. 

Even Mother Nature was their enemy with bitterly cold weather. The ground was frozen solid. The skies were gray. The days were short, with daylight at 8 and darkness by 4. The nights were long and frigid and snow, knee-deep, covered the battlefield. GI’s, their bodies numb, were blue-lipped and chilled to the bone. …

When the chips were down and the situation was desperate, the American soldier, molded in the adversity of the Great Depression, proved to be unusually adept at taking charge of the situation and “going into business for himself” on the battlefield. GIs on that battlefield were craftier than crows in a cornfield. 

These are the soldiers who, when their officers lay dead and their sergeants turned white, held the enemy at bay in the days when the heavens were falling and the battlefield was in flames with all the fire and noise humanly possible for over a million warriors to create. 

For a brief moment in history, these men held our nation’s destiny in their hands. They did not fail us. Theirs was the face of victory. Super heroes—super patriots. Their legacy – victory, victory in the greatest battle ever fought by the United States Army. 

But the cost of victory was high. There, on that cold, brutal field of battle, 19,000 young Americans answered the angel’s trumpet call and had their rendezvous with death. 

Back home in America, Western Union telegraph lines hummed with those dreaded messages of sadness: “The Secretary of War regrets to inform you” — telegrams that forever shattered the lives of the innocent, bringing tears and sadness to homes across our land. Aged mothers and the youthful wives must bear the burden of grief throughout the remainder of their lives. 

We muster here tonight to honor and pay tribute to all those brave young warriors who served with honor and won that battle. We are reminded of what their journey through life has left behind for us. 

The warriors of “the greatest generation”, a generation that is taking their final curtain calls and soon will leave the stage of life. They have passed “Old Glory” on to the next generation unsoiled, their swords untarnished, their legacy a great nation under God, with liberty, justice and freedom for all.

David Bailey’s story

One of the fun things about being “the new guy” is that you get to be amazed by stories that are probably commonplace to everyone else. I ran across David Bailey’s amazing survival story in the VBOB book, Battle of the Bulge: True Stories from the Men and Women Who Survived. His niece, Carolyn Truesdale, mentioned this video of his reunion many years later with the woman who saved him.

Bulge Monument, PA Military Museum

The Pennsylvania Military Museum is an attractive facility in Boalsburg, right around the corner from State College. There is a particular focus on the 28th Division.

Its collection includes good exhibits on WWII and its extensive grounds contain a number of monuments, including one Bulge monument erected by our predecessor, VBOB. Its regular programs include a 28th Division commemoration, in May, and a WWII weekend, usually held on Memorial Day.

BOBA is looking for ways to become more involved in this museum’s programs.

Bulge monument

Bugle deadline

We hope our distribution issues are behind us and we’re now at work on the next issue of the Bugle. This next issue will contain a report on the January 2024 commemoration and Gettysburg conference; plans for what’s going to be a truly outstanding reunion in St. Charles, Missouri; news on the departures of some valued members and on the activities of some who are very much with us; chapter news; and an exciting new feature profiling our division members. And much more.

The deadline is March 10, but if I know you’re sending something, you can have a few more days. For those sending me material, please:

  1. If you’ve already set me something, remind me what you sent and when. I’ve been assembling folders of material but I’d like a cross check to be sure I haven’t missed anything.
  2. If you know of an event we should mention, please notify me of the basics: what it is, when and where, point of contact. This can include things like World War II shows, air shows, conferences, new museum exhibits, etc. Or it can include major member milestones: 100th birthdays, awards, etc.
  3. If you’re planning to submit something, let me know right away. E mail me about topic, length, photos, etc., and let me know when I can expect it.

Reach me at boba.editor@gmail.com

Register ASAP for our January events and Commemoration

Join our Bulge veterans and their families to recognize all those who participated and sacrificed their youth at the Battle of the Bulge. We have exciting events planned including an educational program, wreath ceremonies and a reception at the Embassy of Belgium in DC. 

JANUARY 24, 2024 – WWII educational program with speakers, Bulge veterans, and WWII displays! Featured Speakers – Author Andrew Biggio (pictured far right) will share stories from his latest book, The Rifle 2. Books will be available and a book signing with Andrew as well as with Bulge veteran Jake Ruser (pictured in the center) who is featured in the book. Also, BOBA Historian Jim Triesler will host a panel of our WWII veterans who are in attendance and our Bugle Editor Leon Reed will also be a presenter.

JANUARY 25, 2024 – Join us for a guided tour to commemorate the 79th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge with wreath-laying ceremonies at the Battle of the Bulge Memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and WWII Memorial, then celebrate with a reception hosted by the Embassy of Belgium!

JANUARY 27, 2024 – Extend your trip and attend the Battle of the Bulge Conference in Gettysburg on January 27, 2024!  Click here for details and to register.

If you are unable to join us, please consider donating to our Wreath Fund in memory of a Bulge soldier.

A VBOB Christmas story

“In a Small Church,” by Michael V. Altamura, 750th Tank Battalion, originally printed in VBOB, Battle of the Bulge: True Stories from the Men and Women Who Survived, Aperture Press, 2014.

We were in a picturesque, snow-covered valley in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944. It was Sunday morning. A small Catholic church stood on a slight slope overlooking the snow-covered fir trees. At the other end of the valley was a coal-fueled electric power plant. Every once in a while a German buzz bomb came over attempting to knock out the power plant. A group of tankers and infantrymen decided to attend church that Sunday morning. We stood in the back of the church with our guns slung over our shoulders as the priest gave the mass in Latin. The congregation was kneeling in prayer.

We heard the “put-put” of a buzz bomb overhead, and then the sound cut off. When the sound ceased, we knew the rocket engine had stopped propelling the airborne buzz bomb and it would fall, exploding when it hit the ground. The congregation looked upwards as if to accept their fate. Th priest’s intonations stopped. We stood in the rear as if accepting our fate. The bomb hit pretty close to the church. The ground shook; a few of the stained glass windows cracked. No one moved or said a word; the priest resumed his mass in Latin. I thank God for sparing us that Sunday morning in a small Belgian church during the Ardennes battle.

urge

Special Hotel Rate for Gettysburg Bulge Conference

Best Western Hotel in Gettysburg has agreed to give people attending the Bulge conference a special room rate of $85 a night. The Best Western is a new hotel and very nice, right on Gettysburg’s glittering “Strip,” Steinwehr Ave.

As of Sunday, January 14, seven rooms were still available and the hotel will honor the rate as long as the rooms last. Guests should call the hotel at (717) 334-1188 and say “Battle of the Bulge conference”

or use the following URL:

https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.39139.html?groupId=7I4YL9V

The official conference will take place at the World War II American Experience, which is located a few miles northwest of town. A pre-conference activity is being planned at the hotel the night before. Stay tuned for more details.

LR/12.25

Eisenhower’s Tribute to the Soldiers Who Fought in the Battle of the Bulge

In his memoirs, Ike reflected on what we owe the American GIs who fought in the Battle of the Bulge:

“More than the constant threat of imminent death, our men had overcome all that the unbridled elements could inflict on them in the way of snow and ice and sleet, clammy fog and freezing rain; all the pain of arduous marches and sleepless watches. They had given up their wives and children, or set aside their hope of wives and children, overcome luxuries or poverty, fought down their own inclinations to rest their tired bodies, to play it safe, to search out a hiding place.

“I believe we can always rely, even as I had to in the Battle of the Bulge and the concurrent winter fighting from the North Sea to the Italian Alps, on the willingness and readiness of Americans, including young ones, to endure greatly in their country’s cause.”

Bulge Commemoration at Gettysburg

Nice program in the national cemetery in observance of the 79th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge. Eisenhower National Historic Site ranger Dan Vermilya led the program. He observed that Gettysburg “is hallowed ground not just for what happened here in July 1863, or in November 1863.” He noted that Gettysburg is one of few places “where you can see in a small area the grass of people who died defending freedom in 1944 and in the Pacific and in World War I through Vietnam.”

Dan will be on of the speakers at our Gettysburg conference on January 27. Two other speakers, BOBA member Tom Vossler and Bugle editor Leon Reed, also attended.

Introducing the incoming members of the 2024 Board of Directors

ELECTED OFFICERS
President & CEO: Steve Landry
Executive Vice President: Barbara Mooneyhan
Vice President Membership: Wayne Jacobs
Vice President Chapters: Dr. Andy Waskie
Vice President Military & Veteran Affairs: Doris Davis
Treasurer: Mary Ann Smith
Recording Secretary: Gail C. Larke

ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS
Madeleine Bryant, Chaplain
Kristen Faller
Ken Larke
Jim Triesler, Historian
Betsy Rose

PAST PRESIDENT: John Mohor

JOIN US to remember the Battle of the Bulge

You are cordially invited to join the Battle of the Bulge Association® for our

79TH ANNUAL COMMEMORATION
of the Battle of the Bulge
ARLINGTON, VA and WASHINGTON, DC
Wednesday, January 24 – Friday, January 26, 2024

CLICK HERE FOR THE ITINERARY & HOTEL INFORMATION

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

After the Commemoration, extend your trip to Gettysburg, PA on January 27, 2024 for the Battle of the Bulge educational conference. Click here for details.