Greater Austin Council National Director Lays Wreath at the United States Navy Memorial, Keeping Alive the Spirit of ’45
Mary Virginia Pittman Waller on left
Greater Austin Council member, Mary Virginia McCormick Pittman-Waller, a National Director of the Navy League of the United States, represented that organization in the National Memorial Day Parade and wreath laying ceremonies at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, DC on Monday, May 26. She was part of a special parade unit honoring the fallen of World War II organized by “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive”, a national grassroots coalition that is raising public awareness about Spirit of ’45 Day, the annual day that honors the men and women of America’s “Greatest Generation.” Ms. Pittman-Waller was accompanied by Dr. Richard Small, Western States Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Captain Jerry Yellin, US Army Air Corps, national spokesman for “Keep the Spirit of ’45 Alive” and the pilot who flew the final combat mission of WWII in a P-51 Mustang. They were joined by more than 300 youth volunteers who carried photos of individuals who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in WWII and those who were killed in action during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Spirit of ’45 Day entry also included a 34 foot motor home that has traveled more than 20,000 miles throughout the country as part of a national campaign to publicize events planned for 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.
Washington DC parade
The Spirit of ’45 Day Express visited the Alamo in San Antonio in February, and will be returning to Texas in the fall to visit several WWII memorials and museums. The wreath laying ceremony took place at the iconic statue of “The Lone Sailor” at the United States Navy Memorial. The United States Navy Memorial honors the men and women of the Sea Services past and present; Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and US Flag Merchant Marine. For Ms. Pittman-Waller personally, it was a day to was remember and honor her own late father, Dr. James Edward McCormick Pittman of Utopia, Texas who was a member of the greatest generation and served as a US Army (Col.) medical officer during the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. He received the Bronze Star for service for gallantry during the Battle of the Bulge. Ms. Pittman-Waller is an Associate Member of the Battle of the Bulge Association.
Article and photos submitted by R. Glenn Looney, Chairman of the Board, Greater Austin Council, Navy League of the United States
Representatives of American Legion Magazine will be accompanying Battle of the Bulge veterans during their reunion in Columbia SC for a story for the magazine and website.
Henry Howard, the deputy director of the Legion’s Media and Communication Division, will conduct the interviews. Brett Flashnick, a Columbia, SC area photographer and videographer, will be handling the photo and video duties.
Howard and Flashnick are willing to work around the reunion schedule. They will be available Saturday and Sunday morning, and other times convenient to the veterans. Battle of the Bulge veterans are welcome to contact Howard in advance to set up a time, or meet up at the hotel. Howard can be reached at 317-630-1289 or hhoward@legion.org.
The American Legion, which is the nation’s largest veterans service organization, is dedicated to honoring America’s past and present war heroes by sharing their stories in print and online. In the past, Howard has interviewed and written about the Doolittle Raiders, Medal of Honor recipients and survivors of the USS Indianapolis.
Click here to read about a quest of son, John Ricker and daughter, Shirley Ricker Theis to learn about Homer D. Ricker, their father lost in battle during World War II.
Shirley Ricker Theis is an associate member of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge
It is hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the World War II Memorial Dedication my now-late mother and I attended with the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. I recalled this experience from that wonderful tribute to the Greatest Generation, and I’d like to share it with you:
Tech. Sgt. Vincent A. Rella, 1st Army, 7th Corps, 507th Engineer Company, Light Pontoon, Combat Engineers
The letter written nearly 60 years ago from Belgium after the Battle of the Bulge remained yellowed and faded among my father’s Army mementos until his death in 1996. At one time, I had it translated for him, and tucked it away in an album to preserve it.
And there it stayed until I decided to bring a copy of it with me to display in the Memorabilia Room at the 2004 VBOB Convention with its simple, but caring message, addressed to my father and the three other soldiers who stayed at the Closset Family’s farm for one week before returning to the front:
“We often speak about you and the time we spent together. We are well and hope you are too…If you have a couple of days’ leave in Belgium, we’d be happy to welcome you (again).”
After visiting Normandy and Belgium with my mother in 2001, and then meeting the Belgian students and veterans at the VBOB convention in May 2004, it haunted me. Was this wonderful family still alive?
I found the answer through the May 2004 issue of the The Bulge Bugle – when I spotted the blurb about the U.S. Army Descendents Association (USAD). I then sent a copy of the letter and its translation to the group’s headquarters in St. Simeon, Belgium.
Less than a week later, I received an e-mail from Marlyse Larock, secretary of the three-year-old organization she and her husband Jacques founded after he searched for his American father – a U.S. soldier named J.F. Chadwick — and wanted to help others do the same.
The Closset Family’s farm near Liege, Belgium (1945)
It was good news. Marlyse found Marie Therese Closset, who was a teenager when she wrote the letter on behalf of her family (five aunts, an uncle, and a sister). Marie Therese, who was 79 and living with her husband an hour from the USAD headquarters, was delighted to hear from me. She said the family worried about the four soldiers and always wondered what had happened to them. She was glad to hear my father made it home.
Marie Therese Closset (on horse) with her sister, her aunt, and three other soldiers from the 507th Engineer Company
With Marlyse as our go-between (aka translator), Marie Therese sent me a photograph of three of the soldiers (my father apparently took the picture) and photographs of the Closset Family’s farm near Liege, Belgium. The truck in which the soldiers arrived was hidden behind the farm under a camouflage cover, she said. Seeing these old photographs brought it all to life for me
In turn, I sent her photographs of my father, a newspaper column I wrote about him and his fellow veterans, and copies of his two entries in the World War II Memorial Registry.
Thank you, The Bulge Bugle, for helping me learn more about my father’s war experiences and honoring his memory.
Best regards,
Nancyann Rella, Associate
Daughter of Tech. Sgt. Vincent A. Rella, U.S.Army, 1st Army, 7th Corps, 507th Engineer Company, Light Pontoon, Combat Engineers
On Mar 8, 2013WWII Vet Hope Carlson Kirkendall threw the honorary first pitch at today’s spring training matchup of the Tigers and Mets in Lakeland, Florida.
Throughout our nation’s history, service men and women have gone bravely into battle, risking their lives and livelihoods, sacrificing their safety to defend America. When their duty is done, many return home to life as it was. Sadly, for over 4 million veterans seriously injured in the line of duty, leaving the battlefield does not mark the end of conflict. These permanently disabled heroes often carry home life-altering disabilities – stern reminders of the price of freedom.
America’s disabled veterans have honored us with their service and selfless duty. It is now our turn to honor them.
For the first time, America will pay tribute to some of our most courageous heroes – our disabled veterans. The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial will celebrate those men and women who may be broken in body – but never in spirit.
There are no doubt other online companies available; but we recommend you deal with Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
The best way to order a book, whether you do it online or in the bookstore is provide the ISBN and the title of the book: ISBN: 978-0-9910962-3-7 Title: The Battle of the Bulge, True Stories From the Men and Women who Survived
Frank Chambers, 75th Infantry Division, 291st Infantry Regiment, Cannon Company
He had grown up on a farm and knew how to drive, so the Army gave Frank Chambers a truck. So many other recruits, city kids without licenses, had to carry rifles. “I was really fortunate,” he said this week from his kitchen table near Holmes Lake in Lincoln. “In any infantry, the best place to be is in a truck.”
His was an older GM deuce-and-a-half, and it had already seen action in North Africa by the time he climbed behind its wheel. But that truck kept him warm and it kept him dry and, when he cooked his canned beans and soup with the warmth of the engine’s manifold, it kept him fed.
He drove it into World War II, all over Europe, 10,000 miles through snow and mud and night. He hauled supplies and men, but mostly he towed the howitzer cannon that helped push the Germans out of France, twice.
And then he drove that six-by-six, safely, out of the war. He returned to the States to a long career and a longer marriage. He went decades without talking about his service — or even thinking about it much — until about 18 years ago, when a grandson asked about it.
Since then, the 90-year-old former Farm Bureau and Gallup employee has documented his experiences — both the big picture and the bracing details, like shaving in zero-degree weather — for his family.
He’s spoken to students and assembled a home library of World War II books. He’s attended reunions of the 75th Division and tracked down old friends, or their widows.
And late last month, wearing a gray suit coat and striped tie in the sixth-floor library of the French embassy in Houston, and with Doris and their daughter and grandchildren watching, Chambers was named a knight in the French Legion of Honor for his service to that country 69 years ago.
The consul general, Surijo Seam, spoke of the long friendship between France and the U.S. He spoke of the award, his country’s highest decoration. He spoke of the U.S. service members who fought in France during World War II.
“Frank Chambers,” he said, pinning the Legion of Honor on the Nebraskan, “you are one of these valiant and brave American heroes.”
He unwraps the rubber band from the red box, revealing the award that dates to 1802, when it was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte.
This one came by FedEx.
Chambers applied for it in 2012, sending to the embassy in Chicago the proof of his service in France nearly 70 years ago.
The son of farmers from western Illinois was drafted in 1943. He’d had howitzer training in the ROTC, so the Army sent him to artillery training in Oklahoma. But then it selected him for specialized training.
“They needed civil engineers for the rebuilding of Germany and the world after the war. They thought that would be the purpose of these fellows.”
Six months into the program in Wisconsin, the Army shut it down. So he joined the Air Corps program and was sent to West Virginia. He wanted to be a pilot or, at least, part of the flight crew.
The Army shut that down, too, four months later. It needed fresh troops as it readied ground forces for the upcoming battles in Europe. Nearly 35,000 aviation cadets found themselves out of that program, he said.
“The generals in charge there, they were really upset about all of these guys over here in cushy jobs.” So he was sent to the 75th Infantry Division and, because of his artillery training and farm background, assigned a truck. He sometimes had an assistant driver, and always a crew of six assigned to the 105mm cannon attached to his hitch.
They landed in France in December 1944, relief for the troops fighting since D-Day six months earlier. In Belgium, they fired their first round on Christmas Eve, their introduction to the Battle of the Bulge.
It was cold in the Ardennes forest; men were losing their hands and feet to the chill. And it was deadly; an estimated 20,000 Americans lost their lives.
When it was over on Jan. 25, 1945, when the Allied Forces had finally pushed the Germans out, Chambers and his division thought they would get some rest.
But Germans were crossing the Rhine into France to the south and east. The 75th got new orders.
He was part of the caravan two days later, more than 1,400 vehicles carrying 7,000 soldiers, crawling through the mountains. They traveled in blackout conditions at night, Chambers focusing only on the dim, 2-inch “blackout light” attached to the truck in front of his, a sheer drop to one side of the road, a solid wall on the other.
“It’s just like a bunch of elephants following each other,” he said.
The trip to the Alsace Province took two days. The snow in the mountains to the north was replaced by mud that mired the truck and the men.
“We had a difficult time getting the cannon in position. Every day or two, we’d move to a new location.”
Partnered with the First French Army, they were pushing forward, driving the Germans back. They were lucky, he said. All of the men attached to his truck’s cannon — the forward spotter, the soldier who got the ammo ready, the soldiers who loaded it, the soldiers who fired it — stayed safe.
But there were scares. German bombs exploded nearby the first day they were there. And they saw their first German jet, saw it before they heard it.
“Boy, that scattered us when it came in and strafed us.”
Frank Chambers
Decades later, from his home in Lincoln, he would describe to French officials what he helped do for their country. “Our Company cannons destroyed a church steeple that harbored German snipers,” he wrote. “The Company also destroyed several German self-propelled weapons.”
(No matter how one looks at it, these are incredible. Aside from the figures on aircraft, consider this statement: On average 6600 American service men died per MONTH, during WWII (about 220 a day). Most Americans who were not adults during WWII have no understanding of the magnitude of it. This listing of some of the aircraft facts gives us a bit of insight.)
276,000 aircraft manufactured in the US
43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat
14,000 lost in the continental U.S.
The US civilian population maintained a dedicated effort for four years, many working long hours seven days per week and often also volunteering for other work. WWII was the largest human effort in history. From Germany ‘s invasion of Poland Sept.. 1, 1939 and ending with Japan’s surrender Sept. 2, 1945 — 2,433 days. From 1942 onward, America averaged 170 planes lost a day.
How many is a 1,000 planes? B-17 production (12,731) wingtip to wingtip would extend 250 miles. 1,000 B-17s carried 2.5 million gallons of high octane fuel and required 10,000 airmen to fly and fight them. According to the AAF Statistical Digest, in less than four years (December 1941-August 1945), the US Army Air Forces lost 14,903 pilots, aircrew and assorted personnel plus 13,873 airplanes — inside the continental United States . They were the result of 52,651 aircraft accidents (6,039 involving fatalities) in 45 months.
Think about those numbers. They average 1,170 aircraft accidents per month— nearly 40 a day. (However, less than one accident in four resulted in total loss of the aircraft) Almost 1,000 Army planes disappeared en route from the US to foreign locations. But an eye-watering 43,581 aircraft were lost overseas including 22,948 on combat missions (18,418 against the Western Axis) and 20,633 attributed to non-combat causes overseas. In a single 376-plane raid in August 1943, 60 B-17s were shot down. That was a 16 percent loss rate and meant 600 empty bunks in England. In 1942-43 it was statistically impossible for bomber crews to complete a 25-mission tour in Europe.
Pacific theatre losses were far less (4,530 in combat) owing to smaller forces committed. The worst B-29 mission, against Tokyo on May 25, 1945, cost 26 Superfortresses, 5.6 percent of the 464 dispatched from the Marianas.
On average, 6,600 American servicemen died per month during WWII, about 220 a day. By the end of the war, over 40,000 airmen were killed in combat theatres and another 18,000 wounded. Some 12,000 missing men were declared dead, including a number “liberated” by the Soviets but never returned. More than 41,000 were captured, half of the 5,400 held by the Japanese died in captivity, compared with one-tenth in German hands. Total combat casualties were pegged at 121,867. US manpower made up the deficit. The AAF’s peak strength was reached in 1944 with 2,372,000 personnel, nearly twice the previous year’s figure.
The losses were huge—but so were production totals. From 1941 through 1945, American industry delivered more than 276,000 military aircraft. That number was enough not only for US Army, Navy and Marine Corps, but for allies as diverse as Britain, Australia, China and Russia. In fact from 4943 onward, America produced more planes than-Britain and Russia combined and more than Germany and Japan together 1941-45. However, our enemies took massive losses. Through much of 1944, the Luftwaffe sustained uncontrolled hemorrhaging, reaching 25 percent of aircrews and 40 planes a month. And in late 1944 into 1945, nearly half the pilots in Japanese squadrons had flown fewer than 200 hours. The disparity of two years before had been completely reversed.
These numbers kind of make you want to think. Remember how we used to crack about the flyers having it so good, returning to their bases where they would be able to shower, to put on clean clothes, to eat a decent meal and sleep under warm dry blankets on a clean cot, under cover and protected from the snow and rain? Looks like their lives weren’t all tea and crumpets.
World War II Veterans who participated in the Normandy Invasion will be honored at the Memorial Day Concert on the Mall, May 25, 2014. There will also be a select number of seats reserved as “Seating of Honor” for all World War II Veterans who would like to attend.
Every US veteran, soldier or relative who has ever visited Bastogne, has surely gone to the Mardasson monument. Neighboring the Mardasson monument, a WW2 museum was also to be found. The City of Bastogne, supported by local, regional and EU funding, has taken the task to renew the museum. It was closed for almost two years. Work included a general overhaul and extending the existing building and a complete new scenography, dedicated to the entire cyclus of WW2.
(l-r) Mrs Frans Marique; Christiane D’Haese; Marcel D’Haese Pres VBOB chapter; Frans Marique, VP VBOB chapter
Over 800 people were invited to the inauguration of the new “War Museum” in Bastogne on Friday, March 21st. The “Greatest Generation” was also present, as three WW2 US Veterans and the Belgian VBOB Chapter, led by Marcel D’Haese were special guests.
Everyone was welcomed by the mayor of Bastogne, Benoit Lutgen, followed by a short but powerful speech of Mark C. Storella, Deputy Chief of Mission U.S. Embassy Brussels. After the speeches, Mayor Lutgen, Mr. Storella and other VIP’s officially opened the Bastogne War Museum, a new museum dedicated to the Remembrance of the Second World War.
The bold architectural concept of the museum, which flanks the famous Mardasson Memorial, will welcome visitors for a unique journey to the past. The “Bastogne War Museum” experience will allow the visitor to step back in time and understand the reality of the Battle of the Bulge. From the causes of the battle to its dramatic consequences, the visitor will be immersed in an interactive experience. The personal testimonies, the many authentic artifacts, the innovative scenography, and the experience-orientated approach (three scenovisions, 3D Multi-sensorial devices) make the Bastogne War Museum a must see.
(l-r) Mathieu Billa, Museum curator; Marcel D’Haese BE Fusiliers
The Mardasson Memorial and the “Bastogne War Museum” share the same ambition: maintain the memory alive of those who fought for our freedom and defend values such as peace and freedom. With the upcoming 70th Anniversary of the “Battle of the Bulge”, the museum will be an interesting place to visit.
The Museum is open from March 22nd, 2014. All information can be found at www.bastognewarmuseum.be.
Story and photos submitted by Patrick Brion & Malek Azoug
Jessie O. Bowman from Granite Falls, NC (Sergeant, 345th Regiment, 87th Infantry Division) along with 13 other American WWII Veterans from the U.S. Southeast was awarded the French Legion of Honor during a ceremony on February 20, 2014 at 1:30 pm at the State Capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jessie will be quick to tell you that “I did not win the war; you did not win the war. We all won this war together!” Jessie Bowman was trained as a gunner operator of an 80mm mortar with company D, 345th infantry of the 87th division. Jesse fought in the battle of Morcy and then on to the Ardennes Forest and the Black Forest. Jessie also fought in the Battle of the Bulge, St. Vith and then crossed the Moselle River into Koblentz on the Rhine River and finished up fighting in Plauen in Northern Germany, which is near the Czech border.
Chapter 30 President Barry Veden takes the story of the Bulge on the road
From the time Veden was elected president of the northern Indiana chapter of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, he has been speaking to numerous groups about the battle that occurred in the Ardennes during that coldest of winters seventy years ago.
“I began making presentations to organizations such as the Lions Club, local Rotary Clubs, Church groups, retiree associations and AMVETS conventions,” Veden said. “The presentations have been received nicely. It’s amazing to me how little is known about the battle, or even about World War II for that matter. As president of our local chapter, I feel that is my responsibility to educate as many people as possible about the Battle of the Bulge so that there is a better understanding of what my dad and the thousands of others like him accomplished during the largest land battle ever fought by the United States Army.”
After sending out letters to Assisted Living facilities in the tri-county area of LaPorte, Porter and Lake Counties last year, and receiving a good response, he began speaking to residents in those facilities. “The residents living in those facilities are basically from the World War II generation, and they enjoy hearing about that time in their lives when the world was at war, and how we were victorious,” Veden said. “I’ve been invited back to speak to some of them two and three times.”
In November of last year, Veden was the keynote speaker at the first meeting of a veteran’s organization at the company from where he had retired ten years earlier. “There were about forty veterans in attendance at that inaugural meeting. Most of them had fought in either Iraq or Afghanistan; some of them in both wars, and they were very receptive to my talk about the battle.” “I’m going to continue my mission of speaking to as many groups about the Battle of the Bulge as I can. I owe that to the men in our chapter,” he said.
Barry Veden is the son of Edward Veden, a staff sergeant with the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division. Edward was on the Siegfried Line on the morning of December 16, 1944, and faced the initial assault by the German Wehrmacht that day. During the ensuing 41-day battle, he was seriously wounded and spent the rest of the war in a hospital in England recovering from his wounds.
