T H E O FFIC IA L PUBLICATION ☆ VETERANS OF T H E BATTLE OF T H E BULGE

VOLUME I I NUMBER 2 TH E ARD EN NES CAM PAIGN SEPTEMBER 1983

A N N U A L G E N E R A L MEMBERSHIP M E E T I N G D E C E M B E R 15, 1 6 & 1 7

Our General Membership Meet ing f o r 1983 w i l l be h e l d Thur sday , December 15 t hrough S a t u r d a y , December 17 a t t h e Hyat t Regency H o t e l , Cr y s t a l C i t y , A r l i n g t o n , VA.

Because l a s t y e a r ' s meet i ng was so s u c ­c e s s f u l , t h e P l ann i ng Commit tee approved the same l o c a t i o n f o r t he 1983 a c t i v i t i e s . Las t y e a r we had 17 s t a t e s and t he D i s t r i c t o f Columbia r e p r e s e n t e d ; we hope to s ee mem­b e r s from a l l o f o u r s t a t e s t h i s y e a r .

We w i l l , a g a i n , begin wi t h a ge t a c ­q u a i n t e d p a r t y on Thursday e v e n i n g . One o f t he h i g h l i g h t s wi l l be t he wr ea t h l a y i ng a t t he Tomb o f t he Unknown S o l d i e r in A r l i n g t o n Na t i ona l Cemetery on F r i da y .

Sever a l d i s t i n g u i s h e d peop l e w i l l speak t o us . Ot her e v e n t s wi l l i n c l u d e s l i d e s and movies and a panel d i s c u s s i o n a bou t t he Bulge . We w i l l have t a p i n g equi pment a v a i l ­a b l e t o r e c o r d pe r s ona l e x p e r i e n c e s f o r ou r 1 i b r a r y .

The c l i max o f t he mee t i ng wi l l be a b a n ­que t and dance on Sa t u r d a y n i g h t .

As you can s e e , a t $^9, s i n g l e o r d o u b l e , t he commi t t ee has o b t a i n e d a very good p r i c e . I t i s i mpor t an t t h a t you r e t u r n t he r e s e r v a t i o n c a r d b e f o r e November Z4th in o r d e r t o ge t t h i s r a t e .

We e x p e c t t o see as many o f you as p o s s i ­b l e in December.

VBOB O f f i c e r s - I 983

P r e s i d e n t ................................................ Clyde D. BodenE x e c u t i v e Vi ce P r e s i d e n t

............... Wi 1 1 iam T. G r e e n v i 1 l eVi ce P r e s i d e n t f o r Re g i o n a l

C o o r d i n a t i o n .......................W i l l i a m A. S i mpk i nsVi ce P r e s i d e n t f o r M i l i t a r y

A f f a i r s ................................. Eugene G. D r o u i l l a r dVi ce P r e s i d e n t f o r

Me mb e r s h i p ............................Robe r t J . VanHoutenT r e a s u r e r ................................... W i l l i a m R. Hemphi l lRe c o r d i n g S e c r e t a r y .......... Q u i n t y C. De Ange l i sC o r r e s p o n d i n g S e c r e t a r y ............................ ( Va c a n t )Ge n e r a l C o u n s e l .............................. J o s e p h L a n g b a r tC h a p l a i n ...................................... George W. H a l l , J r .E d i t o r ................................................R. L. Lemmon, S r .H i s t o r i a n .................................................. David E. RubyA r c h i v i s t ...................................... F r a n c e s W. Dohe r t yL i b r a r i a n .................. .............................................(Vacan t )Pub l i e Re 1 a t i ons

O f f i c e r ...................................... Rober t F. P h i l l i p sL i a i s o n O f f i c e r f o r I n t e r n a t i o n a l

and I n t e r g o v e r n m e n t a lA f f a i r s ................................... Q u i n t y C. DeAnge l i s

L i a i son Of f i ce r f o rM i l i t a r y U n i t s ....................... Ne i l B. Thompson

L i a i son Of f i ce r f o rP u b l i c A f f a i r s .................................Demet r i P a r i s

Cha i r ma n , Au d i t Co mmi t t c c . . . . Ear I L. Meyers Cha i r man , F i s e a 1̂ Commi t t ee

W i l l i a m R. Hemph i 11 Cha i r ma n , Membership Commi t t ee

C h a r l e s B. S w e i t z e r Cha i r ma n , No mi n a t i o n s Commi t t ee

P e t e r G. Douni sCh a i r ma n , Fioyrdii i Commi t t ee

W iI Ii am T. Greenv i 11e

The E x e c u t i v e Counc i l i s composed o f t h e i n c u mb e n t s o f t he f i r s t e i g h t p o s i t i o n s ; t h e p r e s i d e n t i s t h e c h a i r m a n .

The A d v i s o r y Board i s composed o f t h e i n c u mb e n t s o f t h e l a s t f i f t e e n p o s i t i o n s ; t h e g e n e r a l c o u n s e l i s t h e c h a i r m a n .

VBOB ADVISORY BOARD ESTABLISHED

An Advi sory Board was e s t a b l i s h e d by P r e s i d e n t Clyde Boden on 29 March 1983 a t an Exe c u t i ve Counci l mee t i ng .

I t w i l l f u n c t i o n autonomous ly and may conduc t s t u d i e s , submi t p r o p o s a l s , and p r e ­pa r e comments. I t w i l l be a VBOB watchdog

_‘ i i •c u ( I I c i i c e e»

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The Board w i l l meet on c a l l o f t he c h a i r ­man and wi t h t h e Ex ec u t i v e Counci l and p a r ­t i c i p a t e f u l l y ex c ep t f o r t h e r i g h t t o move a mot ion o r t o v o t e .

General Counsel Joseph Langbar t i s t he c u r r e n t cha i r man; o t h e r members a r e l i s t e d on t h i s page.

VBOB members a r e encouraged t o w r i t e d i r e c t l y o r v i a P. 0. Box 11129, A r l i n g t o n , VA 2 2 2 1 0 - 2 1 2 9 , t o t h e o f f i c e r s co n c e r n i n g t h e s t a t e d a r e a o f r e s p o n s i b i l i t y .

DELINQUENT DUES

I am sure a l l members want to pay their dues on time-

When are dues due? How i s a member to know when he should pay h is dues. Wfc* huptif we iidve the per-feet, answer . Each mailing label l i s t s the date the member should pay h is dutts. This provides each member with a -full year o-f membership -from the date he o r ig in a lly Joined VBOB. Receipt of annual dues extends i t for an additional year from the anniversary date. This i s a change from the system where a l 1 dues are due on the annual date. Spreading theanniversary dates throughout the year does ease the work—load at headquarters (rem«fflber, a llprocessing and record-keeping i s done by volunteers).

VBOB records indicate payment ha« not been received for the following dues which were due during the period 16 December 19R7—31 January1983. Please check the l i s t and i f your membership number i s l i s t e d send in your check. If you are l i s t e d but you have paid, please furnish us the date you sent your check to us. If you have a copy of your paid check or money order rece ip t , send us a copy so we can trace the error. Here i s the l i s t of membership numbers:3eri esC-7,28 ,33 ,45 ,49 ,67 ,92 ,93 ,97 ,105 ,110 , 115,118,120,123,124,131,136,141,153, 163,165,166,174,182,185,192,193,203, 208,216,220,222,229,230,232,234,236, 248,257,258,260,263,268,269,277,280, 283, 285,299,310,313,316 ic 324.Series AC-4,5 ,B,9, 12 14.

. . . W i l l i am t\ . nempi t i l l , T r e a s u r e r , VBOB

PROCESSING OF MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS

Questions have been asked about the time i t takes to process appli­cations and issue the membership cards. Here i s how i t works:

Mail i s picked up at the PO Box and i s sorted and -forwarded to the volunteer staf-f member responsible for the action.

The Vice President for Membarship must determine the e l i g i b i l i t y , as­sign a membership number and prepare & mail the card. The Treasure rec­ords and f i l e s the application , l i s t s i t in the computer data base, deposits the check and records the financial records

We are a l l volunteers and perform these jobs in our homes. This requires that the actions be carried or mailed to the next person. Con­so lidation of items to take advan­tage of lower postage Sc mileage costs and use of the computer to prepare mailing lab els delayed your receipt of cards and rep lie s to your inqu iries .

I hope the foregoing helps you understand some of our problems.

DUES DATE PROCEDURE

The date your i n i t i a l check was deposited determined your membership date. The date your renewal i s due i s one year hence and i s shown on your mailing lab e l.

Payment of annual dues wi l l always always advance your membership a f u l l year regardless of the date you send them in.

Dues for 1982 & 1983 were 4^5.00. Starting in 1984 dues are ^10.00. If a le sser amount i s received i t wi l l be credited as a donation which can be applied to your dues when the balance due i s received.

EXAMPLE: John jcined 12/16/81. He was issued a card for 1982. He renewed 1 Jul 82 and was issued a1983 membership card. His next due date i s 12/16/83. John received a decal and submitted a check in the amount of *10.00, *5.00 as a decal donation. The remaining *5.00 was credited as a donation since i t was l e s s than the 1984 dues. When John submits a request that the donation be applied toward 1984 dues AND pays the balance ( *5) , a 1984 membership card wi l l be issued. * His revised dues date wi l l be 12/16/84.

MEMORIAL DAY SERVICES (1983)

The an n u a l N a t i o n a l Memor ial Day S e r v i c e was h e l d a t A r l i n g t o n N a t i o n a l Ceme t e r y on 30 May. T h i r t y - s e v e n v e t e r a n s ' o r g a n i z a ­t i o n s p a r t i c i p a t e d , d r e s s e d in t h e i r r e s p e c ­t i v e u n i f o r m s and we r e a p a r t o f t h e " P r e s e n t a t i o n o f C o l o r s " a t t h e o p e n ­ing o f t h e s e r v i c e .Paul T h a y e r , Deputy S e c r e t a r y o f De f e ns e , r e p r e s e n t e d t h e P r e s ­i d e n t o f t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s and gave t h e Memor ial Day a d d r e s s .M/Sgt J uan i t a D e S h a v i o r , U. S. A i r F o r c e , s a n g a s t i r ­r i n g r e n d i t i o n o f t h e " B a t t l e Hymn o f t h e R e p u b l i c . " m a t e l y t w e n t y members o f VBOB we r e p r e s e n t a t t h e c e r e mo n y . VBOB P r e s i d e n t Cl yde

Boden a s s i s t e d by VP Gene D r o u i l l a r d , p a r t i c i p a t e d in t h e w r e a t h - 1 a y i n g c e r e m o n i e s a t t h e Tomb o f t h e Unknown So 1d i e r .

A VBOB b e r i b b o n e d w r e a t h o f w h i t e mums and r ed and b l u e c a r n a t i o n s was p r e s e n t e d on Memor ial Day a t t h e Tomb o f t h e Unknown S o l d i e r in A r l i n g t o n N a t i o n a l Ceme t e r y by P r e s i d e n t Cl yde Boden and Vi ce P r e s i d e n t f o r M i l i t a r y A f f a i r s , Gene D r o u i l l a r d .

Th o u s a n d s o f s p e c t a t o r s , g o v e r n me n t o f ­f i c i a l s , and s c o r e s o f Army Band and A i r Fo r c e Band members j o i n e d more t h a n kO o r g a n i z a t i o n s in p a y i n g t r i b u t e t o o u r h o n o r e d d e a d .

O t h e r VBOB members and f r i e n d s a t t e n d wer e P e t e and D e l i l a h Do u n i s , Bonn i e D r o u i l l a r d , Donal d Fr eeman , Mar i o and J e a n n e Geor ge , B i l l H e m p h i l l , Henry S p i g n e s i , and Ed, L e n o r a , and J o s e p h Th i e r r y .

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QUANT I CO CEMETERY DEDICATED NOTES FROM YOUR VI CE PRES I DENT FOR MEMBERSH I P

Ve t e r a n s o r g a n i z a t i o n s ' newes t n a t i o n a l c e me t e r y was d e d i c a t e d on 15 May 1983- I t i s l o c a t e d j u s t o f f I n t e r s t a t e 95 n e a r Q u a n t i c o , V i r g i n i a . Many v e t e r a n s ' o r g a n i ­z a t i o n s and ce r emon i a l t r o o p s from t h e g r e a t e r Washington D.C. a r e a p a r t i c i p a t e d in t h e d e d i c a t i o n c e r e m o n i e s . VBOB was r e p r e s e n t e d by Gene D r o u i l l a r d , VP f o r M i l i ­t a r y A f f a i r s . Har ry N. W a l t e r s , Admi n i s ­t r a t o r o f Ve t e r a n s A f f a i r s , d e l i v e r e d t h e main a d d r e s s and t hen u n v e i l e d a d e d i c a t o r y p i a q u e .

When f u l l y d e v e l o p e d , t h e new c e m e t e r y ' s 7 7 5 - a c r e s i t e w i l l p r o v i d e 200 , 000 g r a ve S p a c e s . Bu r i a l in Na t i o n a l c e m e t e r i e s i s a v a i l a b l e t o v e t e r a n s d i s c h a r g e d under c on ­d i t i o n s o t h e r t han d i s h o n o r a b l e . Thi s i s t h e same r e q u i r e me n t f o r b u r i a l o f c r e ­mated r emai ns in t h e Columbarium a t A r l i n g ­t on Na t i o n a l Cemetery . Requi r ement s f o r i n- g round b u r i a l a t A r l i n g t o n a r e s t r i c t e r and any p l a n s f o r b u r i a l t h e r e s hou l d be checked w i t h ceme t e ry a u t h o r i t i e s . Grave marke r s in t h e new Quan t i co Cemetery w i l l be p o s i ­t i o n e d h o r i z o n t a l l y on t he ground as opposed t o t h e f a m i l i a r c r o s s e s s een in o t h e r n a ­t i o n a l c e m e t e r i e s .

D e d i c a t i o n ce r emon i es ended w i t h a 21- gun s a l u t e , Taps , and a Mi s s i ng - Man- FI yover by f i g h t e r p l a n e s from t h e V i r g i n i a Ai r Na t i o n a l Guard.

To r ema i n s o l v e n t we a s k t n a t a i l mem­b e r s s e n d in t h e i r dues on t i m e . To s e e i f you a r e up t o d a t e , p l e a s e l ook a t yo u r c a r d . I t i f does n o t s ay 1983, you a r e due t o be r e ne we d . Your a d d r e s s on t h e f r o n t o f t h i s n e w s l e t t e r w i l l show on t h e f i r s t l i n e when y o u r dues a r e d u e . The f i r s t number on t h e f i r s t l i n e i s y o u r member s h i p number . The s e c o n d i s t h e d a t e y o u r dues a r e due f o r r e n e w a l .

To make i t e a s i e r t o i d e n t i f y you , p l e a s e p u t y o u r me mbe r s h i p number on a l l c o r r e s p o n d e n c e and c h e c k s . T h i s w i l l e x ­p e d i t e b o t h an a n s w e r t o i n q u i r i e s and a new me mbe r s h i p c a r d .

Wh i l e dues a r e n o t t a x - d e d u c t i b l e , a l l d o n a t i o n s t o VBOB a r e t a x - d e d u c t i b l e . We e n c o u r a g e d o n a t i o n s . I n c r e a s e d d o n a t i o n s h e l p keep down dues i n c r e a s e s .

We commend a l l members who h a v e h e l p e d t o i mprove me mb e r s h i p . Some have v i s i t e d p e r s o n a l l y w i t h men t o s o l i c i t e members ; o t h e r s h a v e w r i t t e n t o t h e i r Army f r i e n d s , one s e n d i n g a s many a s 150 l e t t e r s and o t h e r s have w r i t t e n t o v a r i o u s n e w s p a p e r s and r a d i o s t a t i o n s in t h e i r a r e a s . Th e s e e f r n r t s have h e l p e d t o i n c r e a s e me mb e r s h i p . Each and e v e r y member who has s e n t l i s t s o f p o t e n t i a l members o r i n d i v i d u a l s i s com­mended. Thanks t o e a c h and e v e r y member f o r t h e i r e f f o r t s .

t u l i Ok bKtAKS

R e c e n t l y a p p o i n t e d e d i t o r o f THE BULGE BUGLE, I wi s h t o a s s u r e o u r members o f my d e d i c a t i o n t o o u r o r g a n i z a t i o n and a l l o f i t s e n d e a v o r s . Ever y e f f o r t w i l l be made t o p r o v i d e members w i t h t h e mos t c o mp r e h e n ­s i v e p u b l i c a t i o n p o s s i b l e . Members ' com­me n t s a r e i n v i t e d f o r i n c l u s i o n in MEMBERS SPEAK OUT.

D e s p i t e me mb e r s h i p in numer ous o t h e r s e r ­v i c e o r g a n i z a t i o n s , I am mos t p r o u d t o be a member o f t h e VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, a mos t d i s t i n c t i v e g r o u p whose c o l ­l e c t i v e p e r f o r m a n c e o f d u t y w i l l l i v e on in t h e a n n a l s o f h i s t o r y . When t h o s e days f a d e a b i t in memory, I r emember t h e C h r i s t m a s c a r d s wh i c h T h i r d U. S. Army ' s commander . Ge ne r a l George S. P a t t o n , J r . , had p r i n t e d f o r a l l o f us o v e r t h e r e a t t h e t i m e . Ti'ie c a r d s i n c l u d e a t h i s memor ao i e p h r a s e - - " I have f u l l c o n f i d e n c e in y o u r c o u r a g e , d e v o t i o n t o d u t y , and s k i l l in

b a t t l e . We march in o u r mi g h t t o c o m p l e t e v i c t o r y . " Remember t h o s e d a y s and n i g h t s o f b i t t e r - c o l d w e a t h e r , heavy r a i n s whi ch s h u t o u t a i r s u p p o r t , and muddy r o a d s ?

Gene r a l P a t t o n ' s p r a y e r , on t h o s e c a r d s , w i l l a l w a y s r ema i n f r e s h in my memory. He p r a y e d " A l m i g h t y and mos t m e r c i f u l F a t h e r , we humbly b e s e e c h The e , o f Thy g r e a t g o o d ­n e s s , t o r e s t r a i n t h e s e i mmoder a t e r a i n s w i t h wh i c h we h a v e t o c o n t e n d . Gr a n t us f a i r w e a t h e r f o r b a t t l e . G r a c i o u s l y h e a r k e n t o us a s s o l d i e r s who c a l l upon Thee t h a t , a rmed w i t h Thy power , we may a d ­va n c e f rom v i c t o r y t o v i c t o r y , c r u s h t h e o p p r e s s i o n and w i c k e d n e s s o f o u r e n e m i e s , and e s t a b l i s h Thy j u s t i c e among men and n a t i o n s . Amen"

- 4 -.R. L, Lemmon, E d i t o r

T R I P TO TH E B A T T L E O F TH E BULGE AREA V I D E O T A P E O F S T . V I T H

All members shou l d have r e c e i v e d VBOB P r e s i d e n t ' Boden' s Mid-Year Repor t wi t h a f l y e r a t t a c h e d c o n c e r n i n g t he t r i p back to t he B a t t l e o f t he Bulge a r e a in t he f a l l o f 1984. I t i s i mpor t an t t h a t t h o s e members p l a n n i n g t o go, f i l l ou t t he r e s e r v a t i o n a p p l i c a t i o n and send i t in t o Galaxy Tours as soon as p o s s i b l e . As shown in t he f l y e r you w i l l g e t a .00 r e d u c t i o n on t he l and p o r t i o n i f you r e g i s t e r b e f o r e t he f i r s t o f Oc t ober o f t h i s y e a r . Make s u r e you f i l l o u t t h e form c o mp l e t e l y .

I f you wish to d e v i a t e from t he p l anned t r i p , p l e a s e a d v i s e Galaxy - t hey wi l l he l p you wi t h your a r r a n g e m e n t s .

Based on members ' r e s p o n s e s t o t he a r t i ­c l e in t he l a s t i s s u e o f THE BULGE BUGLE, i n t e r e s t in t h i s t r i p has been t r emendous . Over 350 members and g u e s t s have s t a t e d t h a t t hey pl an t o p a r t i c i p a t e . Thi s i s not a s u r p r i s e . From newspaper a r t i c l e s and r e ­p o r t s , l a r g e numbers o f v e t e r a n s a r e p l a n ­n i ng t o r e t u r n t o Europe next y e a r in c on­j u n c t i o n wi t h t he many e v e n t s be i ng pl anned f o r t h e 40t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h a t g r e a t s t r u g g l e »

Mr. Boden and a smal l VBOB c o n t i n g e n t w i l l t r a v e l t o Luxembourg t o p a r t i c i p a t e in t he d e d i c a t i o n ce r emoni es o f t h e Monument f o r t h e Unknown G . l . on 11 September I 9 8 3 .At t h a t t ime t he e n t i r e i t i n e r a r y w i l l be checked o u t t o make s u r e i t w i l l be s u i t a b l e f o r t he 1984 VBOB t r i p ,

BRONZE STAR 27 YEARS LATE

Benjamin D i s r a e l i wr o t e (Tancred IV) " E v e r y t h i n g comes i f a man w i l l on l y w a i t . " That c e r t a i n l y proved t r u e f o r VBOB member Thomas R. S h e t t l e r o f F r a n k l i n , PA a f t e r w a i t i n g 27 y e a r s t o r e c e i v e h i s Bronze S t a r award.

S h e t t l e r was f i l i n g some forms wi t h t he Army in c o n n e c t i o n wi t h a medical m a t t e r when he l e a r n e d t h a t he was e n t i t l e d t o t he medal , bu t had n e ve r r e c e i v e d i t . Thi s was r e p o r t e d in THE NEWS HERALD o f F r a n k l i n S Oil C i t y , PA on 23 August 1972.

His award was f o r combat s e r v i c e wi t h t he 94 t h I n f a n t r y D i v i s i o n in Germany as p a r t o f t h e Thi r d U.S. Army. He l a t e r s e r ve d in Cz e c h o s l o v a k i a .

We have j u s t l e a r n e d o f an unusual i t em f o r t h o s e who have TV v i d e o - c a s s e t t e p l a y ­e r s . There i s a b l a c k - a n d - w h i t e 58 - mi nu t e v i deo t a p e on "The B a t t l e o f S t . V i t h " made in 1965. The b l u r b f o r i t s ays "These t h r e e days o f h e r o i c r e s i s t a n c e c a p t u r e d t he a t t e n t i o n - and t h e a d m i r a t i o n - o r t he e n t i r e wo r l d . Begi nni ng wi t h f o o t a g e t h a t d e s c r i b e s t he Na z i s ' Conquer o r be Con­q u e r e d s t r a t e g y f o r t h e i r w i n t e r o f f e n s i v e in t he Ar dennes , t h i s i s t he d a u n t l e s s s t o r y o f how American GIs form t h e 7th Armored and 106th Golden Lions D i v i s i o n . F i g h t i n g a g a i n s t u nbe 1 i e v e a b 1e od d s , t hey broke t he back o f t h i s mass i ve German o f - f ens i v e . "

I d e n t i f i e d as C.M.I. Vid eo ta pe No. lOS, The B a t t l e o f S t . V i t h , t he t a p e c o s t s $6 9 .95 p l u s $2 .2 5 po s t a g e and h a n d l i n g ( Co n n e c t i c u t r e s i d e n t s add 7i% s a l e s t ax ) and may be o r d e r e d from t h e F a i r f i e l d Book Co. , Box 2 8 9 , F a i r f i e l d Ce n t e r , CT 06805 or c a l l 800- 243-1318 t o p l a c e your o r d e r .

DIARIES SOUGHT

The Pepys Pr e s s seeks t h5 d i a r i e s o f World V/ar II v e t e r a n s o f any rank and s e r ­v i c e branch who were wounded in combat .They a r e f o r a book o f World War I I d i a r i e s t he p u b l i s h e r i s a s s e m b l i n g .

Pe r sons i n t e r e s t e d can send 30 p h o t o ­c op i ed pages o f t h e i r d i a r y t o Donald Vi n i ng , E d i t o r , The Pepys P r e s s , 1270 F i f t h Ave. , New York, N.Y. 10029. He a s ks t h a t c o m p i l a t i o n s o f l e t t e r s o r memoirs w r i t t e n in d i a r y format not be s e n t . I f i n t e r e s t e d a f t e r r e a d i n g t h e 30 pa ge s , he w i l l a sk t o s ee more. Modest c ompens a t i on , p l u s an a u t h o r ' s copy o f t he book, w i l l be g i ven to t h o s e whose d i a r i e s a r e us ed , Vining s a i d .

These two i t ems were s u b m i t t e d by John W e t t s t e i n , VBOB member, from h i s 7th Ar ­mored Di v i s i o n A s s o c i a t i o n ' s newspaper . He h i g h l y recommends t he v i deo t a p e .

P.S. don't forget to mention your former unit.

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BULGE BOOK "TO SAVE BASTOGNE" PUBLISHED

In December 1984 t h e v e t e r a n s o f t h e " B a t t l e o f t h e B u l g e " w i l l be c e l e b r a t i n g t h e 4 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e Ar d e n n e s f i g h t ­i n g , and t h e r e w i l l u n d o u b t e d l y be many books and a r t i c l e s w r i t t e n in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h a t o c c a s i o n . S e v e r a l members o f VBOB a r e a l r e a d y h a r d a t work p e r p e t u a t i n g t h e memory o f t h a t December 19^^ a c t i o n .

A l r e a d y c o m p l e t e d and s c h e d u l e d f o r p u b ­l i c a t i o n t h i s p a s t J u n e i s "To Save B a s t o g n e " by Ro b e r t F. P h i l l i p s , a f o r me r member o f t h e 2 8 t h I n f a n t r y D i v i s i o n ' s 110t h I n f a n t r y Re g i me n t , one o f t h e p a r t i ­c i p a t i n g u n i t s in t h e B a t t l e o f t h e Bu l g e . T h i s a c c o u n t , t o be p u b l i s h e d by S t e i n &Day, n a r r a t e s one p h a s e o f t h e f i g h t i n g e a s t o f B a s t o g n e d u r i n g t h e f i r s t f i v e days o f t h e German o f f e n s i v e . Over shadowed by t h e 1 0 1 s t A i r b o r n e ' s g a l l a n t d e f e n s e o f B a s t o g n e in December 19^4 , t h e s t o r y o f t h e d e s p e r a t e d e l a y i n g a c t i o n s e a s t o f B a s t o g n e wh i c h b o u g h t t i me f o r t h e o c c u p a t i o n and d e f e n s e o f t h a t c i t y by Amer i can t r o o p s , ha s s o f a r been a c l o s e d book t o mos t o f t h e w o r l d . The u n i t s i n v o l v e d we r e d e c i m a ­t e d d u r i n g t h e i n i t i a l f i v e d a y s , b u t b e ­c a u s e o f t h e i r h 6 l d i n g a c t i o n s p r i o r t o 19 December , in t h e r u gge d t e r r a i n t o t h e e a s t o f B a s t o g n e , Amer i can t r o o p s we r e a b l e t o r e a c h t h e i m p o r t a n t c r o s s r o a d s tov/n in t i me t o s u c c e s s f u l l y d e f e n d i t a g a i n s t t h e German o f f e n s i v e .

Ge n e r a l E i s e n h o w e r , in h i s book " Cr u s a d e In E u r o p e , " a s s umed s o l e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r m a i n t a i n i n g o n l y f o u r d i v i s i o n s on t h e A r d e n n e s f r o n t in December 19^4 and t h u s r u n n i n g t h e r i s k o f a German p e n e t r a t i o n in t h a t a r e a . He Look t h a t r i s k , h o we v e r , b e c a u s e i t was t h e o n l y way he c o u l d c o n ­t i n u e t h e o f f e n s i v e o p e r a t i o n s he f e l t we r e n e c e s s a r y . He b e l i e v e d t h a t , in t h e e v e n t o f a l a r g e - s c a l e German o f f e n s i v e in t h a t a r e a , any s a l i e n t o r b u l g e p r o d u c e d by i t c o u l d be s u c c e s s f u l l y c o n t a i n e d and f i n a l l y e l i m i n a t e d i f - t h e s h o u l d e r s we r e f i r m l y h e l d . T h i s was a d o c t r i n e d e r i v e d f rom t h e g r e a t W e s t e r n F r o n t o f f e n s i v e o f I 9 l 7 and 1918. I t d o m i n a t e d t h e t h i n k i n g o f a l l t h e h i g h e r U. S. m i l i t a r y f i g u r e s and was c l e a r l y d i s c e r n i b l e in t h e i n i t i a l d e c i ­s i o n s made by E i s e n h o w e r , B r a d l e y , and t h e v a r i o u s army and c o r p s commander s . Any mnvement n f Amp. r I r a n r e i n f o r r p m p n t ^ f h p r p - f o r e , wo u l d be in r e s p o n s e t o t h i s d o c t r i n e .

A l t h o u g h Ge r ma n - d e v e l o p e d b l i t z k r i e g t a c t i c s in P o l a n d , F r a n c e , and R u s s i a had in r e a l i t y ou t moded t h i s d o c t r i n e , i t was s t i l l s u c c e s s f u l in t h i s i n s t a n c e b e c a u s e o f t h e l i m i t e d s c o p e and r e s o u r c e s o f t h e German o f f e n s i v e . German p a n z e r s we r e mere s h e l l s o f t h e i r e a r l i e r y e a r s , b o t h in q u a n t i t y o f m a c h i n e s and q u a l i t y o f men. A f t e r f i v e y e a r s o f war and t r e me n d o u s c a s u a l t i e s , many o f t h e we 11- t r a i n e d , b a t t l e - h a r d e n e d o f f i c e r s and noncoms wer e g o n e . The r a n k s had s u f f e r e d , t o o , and we r e f i l l e d w i t h young and r e l a t i v e l y u n ­t r a i n e d s o l d i e r s , t i r e d o l d v e t e r a n s , and n a v a l and L u f t w a f f e d r a f t e e s . Equi pment was in s h o r t s u p p l y and g a s o l i n e s e v e r e l y r a t i o n e d . Many o f t h e a r t i l l e r y p i e c e s t h a t l a i d down t h e i n i t i a l b a r r a g e on t h e mo r n i n g o f 16 December had n e i t h e r t h e mo t o r power no r t h e h o r s e power t o move them f o r w a r d w i t h t h e a d v a n c i n g t r o o p s .In a s e n s e , t h e German s o l d i e r s ' s t r o n g e s t weapons wer e s u r p r i s e , s p e e d , and w e a t h e r bad enough t o g r o u n d Amer i can a i r power .To s u c c e e d , t h e y had t o move w e s t w a r d a s s p e e d i l y a s p o s s i b l e , b y p a s s i n g t h e s m a l l e r g a r r i s o n s , q u i c k l y b r i d g i n g t h e r i v e r s , and s e c u r i n g t h e main t r a n s p o r t a t i o n hubs such a s B a s t o g n e and S t . Vi t h in Be l g i um.

The F i f t h and S i x t h P a n z e r Ar mi es wer e t o be t h e d r i v i n g f o r c e o f t h e o f f e n s i v e . When t h e S i x t h P a n z e r Army d r i v e on t h e n o r t h bogged down, t h e e n t i r e i mpe t us o f t h e o f f e n s i v e s h i f t e d t o t h e F i f t h P a n z e r Army on t h e s o u t h . I t s a d v a n c e was paced by t h e XLVII P d n z e r Corps and t h a t c o r p s ne e d e d t h e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n hub o f B a s t o g n e i f i t we r e t o r o l l w e s t w a r d w i t h a l l p o s s i ­b l e s p e e d . The 1 0 1 s t A i r b o r n e d e n i e d B a s t o g n e t o t h e Germans , b u t t h a t u n i t o n l y r e a c h e d B a s t o g n e in t i me b e c a u s e Amer i can u n i t s t o t h e e a s t o f t h a t c i t y h e l d a t h i g h c o s t , b u y i n g t h e t i me n e c e s s a r y f o r p a r a ­t r o o p e r s t o be t r a n s p o r t e d f rom Reims , F r a n c e , t o c o n s o l i d a t e Amer i can p o s i t i o n s in B a s t o g n e .

Those u n i t s f i g h t i n g t h e d e l a y i n g a c ­t i o n s t o t h e e a s t r e c e i v e d l i t t l e o r no h e l p b e c a u s e i t was i m p o s s i b l e t o s h o r e up t h o s e c r i t i c a l s h o u l d e r s o f t h e s a l i e n t and a i d t h o s e u n i t s , t o o . I t was a h a r d , c r u e l d e c i s i o n on t h e p a r t o f t h e Amer i can com­m a n d e r s , b u t t h e o n l y d e c i s i o n t h a t c o u l d h a v e been made u n d e r t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s . These u n i t s had t o be s a c r i f i c e d in o r d e r Lo buy enough t i m e t o s e c u r e t n e n o r t h e r n and s o u t h e r n s h o u l d e r s s o t h a t t h e German

- 6 -

d r i v e coul d be b l u n t e d and c o n t a i n e d on t he H a n k s , The s h o u l d e r s were f u r t h e r r e i n ­f o r c e d a f t e r t h e momentum o f t h e o v e r e x ­t e nded German f o r c e was s p e n t and f u r n i s h e d t h e j u m p i n g - o f f p o i n t s f o r t h e American d r i v e s t o r e l i e v e Bas t ogne and c u t o f f t he German d i v i s i o n s .

The d e f e n s e was e p i c - - an i mpor t an t d e ­f e a t f o r t h e Germans - - and in t h e mi ds t o f d e f e a t and u n c e r t a i n t y , Bas togne appe a r e d as a ray o f l i g h t in what was o t h e r w i s e a very b l a c k p i c t u r e . Con s e q u e n t l y , American news c o r r e s p o n d e n t s s e n t home volumes o f n e ws p r i n t on t h e g a l l a n t b a r g a i n s t r u c k a t Bas t ogne , but l i t t l e about t h e a c t i o n s t h a t made t h i s d e f e n s e p o s s i b l e . Thi s book t e l l s t he t a l e o f t h e i n f a n t r y me n , a r t i l ­l e rymen, t a n k e r s , and e n g i n e e r s who he l ped make v i c t o r y in t he Bulge p o s s i b l e . I t i s t he s t o r y o f some o f t h o s e unsung h e r oe s o f t he Bulge - - t h e men who t r a d e d t h e i r l i v e s fo r t i me.

OTHER BOOKS FORTHCOMING

Anot her book, by Cha r l e s A, MacDonald, now in t h e r e s e a r c h and w r i t i n g s t a g e and s c h e d u l e d f o r p u b l i c a t i o n in t he f a l l o f1984, w i l l be a compr ehens i ve accoun t o f t h e B a t t l e o f t h e Bulge from s t a r t t o f i n ­i s h . Those o f you who a r e f a m i l i a r wi t h Cha r l e s MacDonald ' s e a r l i e r books (Company Commander, Three B a t t l e s , The S i e g f r i e d Line Campaign, The B a t t l e o f Hur tgen F o r e s t , The Mi ght l y Endeavor , and o t h e r s ) know t h i s a c c o u n t o f t h e Ardennes f i g h t i n g w i l l be a r ea l w i n n e r .

A t h i r d book, c o - a u t h o r e d by John D. Campbel l and Harold P. "Bud" Leinbaugh, w i l l document a t y p i c a l World War II i n f a n ­t r y r i f l e company in t he European t h e a t e r , w i t h a s i g n i f i c a n t p o r t i o n devo t ed to t he Ardennes f i g h t i n g . Ad d i t i o n a l i n f o r ma t i o n on t he l a t t e r two books w i l l be f o r t hc om­ing in f u t u r e e d i t i o n s o f THE BULGE BUGLE.

I t i s hoped, t h a t o t h e r VBOB members w i l l draw upon t h e i r war t i me e x p e r i e n c e s and produce o t h e r n a r r a t i v e a c c o u n t s o f t he Bulge f i g h t i n g .

□

VBOB EMBLEM POPULAR

The o f f i c i a l emblem ( l ogo t ype ) o f t he Ve t e r ans o f t he B a t t l e o f t he Bulge was approved by the a c t i n g Execu t i ve Counci l on 8 May 1982. The Coun­c i l a l s o approved a recom­

mendat i on t h a t t he f i r s t use o f t he emblem be in p r i n t i n g r a t h e r t han in p r o d u c t s or o t h e r u s e s .

The b a s i c de s i gn was conce i ved by c h a r ­t e r member Nei l Thompson as a s i gn f o r d i s ­p l ay a t t he f i r s t VBOB p u b l i c meet i ng held 16 December 1981. The s i gn was p l aced in f r o n t o f t he l e c t e r n in t he event i t was

kw r-. f-i o »-c Thc» r1«=>cinnu y . . . w

i n c l ude d t he symbols and c o l o r s o f t he ground combat arms, r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t he a i r arms and t he snow-covered e v e r g r e e n t r e e s o f t he Ardennes F o r e s t . The most im­p r e s s i v e and memorable e l ement was t he b r i l l i a n t s t a r o f Chr i s t mas o f ]3kh wi t h i t s r ays r ea c h i ng down to a l l p a r t s o f t he emb1em.

The a c c e p t a n c e o f Llii s concep t over- o t h e r de s i g n s was recommended by J . C . " J a y " Mo r r i s , t he c h i e f a r t i s t o f ' the I n s t i t u t e o f H e r a l d r y . The I n s t i t u t e i s t he U.S. Government o f f i c e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t he o f f i ­c i a l emblems o f a l l m i l i t a r y and c i v i l i a n b r a nc he s o f t he Government .

For a r t i s t i c r easons and h i s t o r i c a l a c c u r a c y , s e v e r a l m o d i f i c a t i o n s were made in t h e a r t i s t ' s f i r s t p a i n t i n g of t he em­blem. The f i r s t p u b l i c a ppea r ance o f t he new logo was in a f l a g pur chased by P r e s i ­dent Clyde Boden f o r t he f i r s t annual mem­b e r s h i p meet i ng o f VBOB on 16 December 1982. I t was l a t e r r e t u r n e d as f a i l i n g t o meet t h e des i gn and c o l o r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f the o f f i c i a l emblem.

The f i r s t use o f t he logo in p r i n t i n g , as de c r e e d by t h e Execu t i ve Counc i l , was in t h e pu r c ha s e o f 2 ,400 d e c a l s . Working from a c o l o r pho t g r a p h , t he s u p p l i e r c a p ­t u r e d t he b r i l l i a n t c o l o r s and every d e t a i l o f t he emblem.

Pl ans c a l l f o r t he pur chas e of a d d i ­t i o n a l d e c a l s f o r s a l e t o t he members wi th a v a i l a b i l i t y by e a r l y F a l l .

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C o n s i d e r a t i o n i s be ing given t o t he d es i gn o f a bumper s t i c k e r wi t h emphasi s on showing p r i d e o f membership in VBOB. Since t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n does not have an a d v e r ­t i s i n g campaign, bumper s t i c k e r s and d e c a l s may be t h e s ou r c e f o r s p r e a d i n g t he word about t he newest v e t e r a n s ' o r g a n i z a t i o n .

One o f t he l a r g e s t and b e s t manufac­t u r e r s o f q u a l i t y embroi dered emblems has Submi t t ed p r i c e s f o r c o n s i d e r a t i o n . The emblem w i l l be a f o u r - i n c h c i r c l e pa t ch in seven b r i l l i a n t c o l o r s ( i n c l u d i n g b l a c k and wh i t e ) wi t h o r wi t h o u t c l u t c h b a c k f a s t e n e r s , f o r wear on c o a t s , j a c k e t s , s h i r t s and o t h e r ga r ment s . A s ma l l e r v e r s i o n o f t he pa t ch is 2- 3/4 i nches in d i a me t e r f o r c a p s , h a t s , s h i r t s , and o t h e r ga r ment s . i t w i l l a l s o be a v a i l a b l e f o r sewing o r wi t h c l u t c h - back f a s t e n e r s .

The pu r chas e o f most p r o d u c t s r e q u i r e s an i n i t i a l o u t l a y f o r a r t work, molds , e t c . , p l u s t he pur chas e o f a minimum q u a n t i t y . Severa l t housand d o l l a r s a r e r e q u i r e d to make a v a i l a b l e a s t o c k o f embroi dered p a t c h e s , l ape l p i n s , d e c a l s and bumper s t r i p s .

The l i m i t i n g f a c t o r p r e v e n t i n g immediate pur chas e i s t he l ack o f money. The $5 annual dues payment does not p r ov i de enough income t o s t o c k merchandi se d e s i r e d by mem­b e r s . Th i s , d e s p i t e t he f a c t t h a t a l l VBOB o f f i c i a l s a r e v o l u n t e e r worker s and t h e r e a r e no s a l a r i e d employees in t he o r g a n i z a ­t i o n . The minimum dues have been s u p p l e ­mented by c o n t r i b u t i o n in t he p a s t . P r e s i ­dent Boden hopes members w i l l c o n t r i b u t e funds a f t e r r e c e i v i n g t he f r e e d e c a l .

Father Gorman Receives Medals

ARMY LENDS SUPPORT TO VBOB PROJECTPl ans a r e in t he hopper t o ge t a s s i s ­

t ance from Army Pu b l i c A f f a i r s in p r e s e r ­ving t he h i s t o r y o f t he B a t t l e o f t h e Bulge as t o l d by us .

Mr. Wi l l i am Rosenmund, O f f i c e , S e c r e t a r y o f t he Army P u b l i c A f f a i r s O f f i c e , wi l l l end h i s hand in h e l p i n g us l o c a t e phot - g r a p h i c m a t e r i a l s in t he Army f i l e s .

What we have in mind r i g h t now i s a mul t i - med i a p r e s e n t a t i o n : L i gh t , sound, music , s l i d e s , our s t o r y - - a l l wrapped up in one e a s y - t o - v i e w s l i d e show. We a r e check­ing on t he t e c h n i c a l i t i e s o f t h i s a d v e n t u r e (one s c r e e n , two p r o j e c t o r s ; two s c r e e n s , four p r o j e c t o r s : how l ong, what t o p i c s , e t c . )

F a t h e r Cha r l e s F. Gorman, P a s t o r Emer i t u s , S t . F r a nc i s Church, i s p i c t u r e d above be i ng p r e s e n t e d h i s WWII U.S. Army medal s by Jack Kearney, Pos t S e r v i c e O f f i c e r , American Legion Pos t #221, S p r i n g f i e l d . F a t h e r Gorman s e r v e d as a Chap l a i n - Ma j o r wi t h t he U.S. Army' s I 6 t h General Ho s p i t a l in t h e European T h e a t r e o f Op e r a t i o n s (ETO).

His m i l i t a r y d e c o r a t i o n s i n c l u d e t he Eu r o p e a n - Af r i ca n - Mi d d l e E a s t e r n Campaign medal w i t h b r onze s t a r f o r p a r t i c i p a t i o n in t h e Ardennes Campaign ( B a t t l e o f t h e Bul ge ) , WWII Vi c t o r y Medal , Army o f Occupat i on (Germany) Medal and t h e American Campaign Medal . In a d d i t i o n , he i s e n t i t l e d t o wear a wrea t h i n s i g n i a s i g n i f y i n g an Army Mer i ­t o r i o u s Uni t C i t a t i o n c o n f e r r e d upon t he Ho s p i t a l Uni t f o r E x t r a o r d i n a r y S e r v i c e s p e r ­formed d u r i ng t he p e r i o d 1 December 19^4 th r ough 1 March 19^5. The u n i t , l o c a t e d in Belgium, c a r e d f o r American c a s u a l t i e s In t h e B a t t l e o f t h e Bulge .

F a t h e r Gorman had not r e c e i v e d h i s WWII medals p r e v i o u s t o t h i s t i me . However, t h r ough Kea r ney ' s e f f o r t s , t he medal s were o b t a i n e d from t h e U.S. Army Records Cent er in t ime t o be p r e s e n t e d t o F a t h e r Gorman on h i s 9 1 s t b i r t h d a y , December 23, 1982.

The Revere, id Gorman, an American Legion member f o r more t han 50 y e a r s , i s a l s o a v e t ­e r a n o f WWI, hav i ng s e r ve d as a Chapla in wi t h t he 12th U.S. Army En g i n e e r s . His VA7Ib a t t l e c l a s p s ---- p a r t i c i p a t i o n in t he SommeO f f e n s i v e and t he S t . Mihiel and Meuse- Argonne campai gns .

Kearney and Fa t h e r Gorman a r e c h a r t e r members o f t he newl y- formed Ve t e r a ns o f t he B a t t l e o f t h e Bulqe (VBOB)

MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBERS THE MALMEDY MASSACRE

Mr. Wi l l Cavanagh , r e c e n t l y o f Maimedy, Be l g i u m, and p r e v i o u s l y a r e s i d e n t o f E n g l a n d , a nd a l o n g t i m e and v a l u a b l e a s s o ­c i a t e member o f VBOB, p r o v i d e s t h e f o l l o w ­ing and s o u l - s e a r c h i n g d a t a c o n c e r n i n g t h e memor i a l s e r v i c e h e l d a t Baugnez on 5 J une o f t h i s y e a r :

"On a f i n e s umme r ' s a f t e r n o o n my f a m i l y and I w a l k e d t h e 1 , 500 y a r d s f rom o u r home t o t h e s i t e o f t h e Maimedy ma s s a c r e o in f r o n t o f i n v i t e d g u e s t s , U. S. and B e l g i a n Guards o f Honor , and t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c . Gene r a l L. R. P a l m e r t o n , USAF, and Mr.Ro b e r t D e n i s , Mayor o f Maimedy, s p o k e t o commemorat e t h e f a l l e n . Ge ne r a l P a l m e r t o n s t a t e d t h a t ' I n more ways t h a n one i t i s a p r i v i l e g e and an h o n o r f o r me t o be h e r e among you a t Maimedy t o d a y . F i r s t l y , t o r emember t h o s e who gave t h e i r l i v e s f o r a n o b l e c a u s e . What more can God a s k o f a man? S e c o n d l y , t o commemorat e t h e t r a g i c e v e n t s wh i c h t o o k p l a c e h e r e 39 y e a r s ago in t h i s b e a u t i f u l p a r t o f Be l g i um. Let us n o t f o r g e t wha t t o o k p l a c e and l e t us e n ­s u r e t h a t we w i l l u s e a l l o f o u r w i l l p o w e r and e n e r g y t o make s u r e i t n e v e r h a p p e n s a g a i n . F i n a l l y , I am p l e a s e d t o be a b l e t o r e p r e s e n t Ge ne r a l R o g e r s , t h e h i g h e s t r a n k ­ing o f f i c e r o f t h e We s t e r n A l l i a n c e . I t i s t h r o u g h him and t h e e f f o r t s o f many o t h e r m i l i t a r y commanders f rom a l l t h e NATO c o u n ­t r i e s t h a t we s e e k e n d l e s s l y t o p r e s e r v e p s a c c on t h e Eur opean CoiiL i nen L . Hy mes­s a g e t o d a y i s q u i t e f r a n k . We a r e u n i t e d t o d a y by common v a l u e s - - we c h e r i s h o u r l i b e r t y . We a r e f u l l y a wa r e o f wha t t h e word ' l i b e r t y ' s i g n i f i e s . I am c e r t a i n t h a t a l l o f you h e r e a r e p r e p a r e d t o a c c e p t t h e s a c r i f i c e s whi ch a r e n e c e s s a r y t o p r e ­s e r v e o u r l i b e r t y . I do r e a l i z e t h a t t h i s commi tment i s n o t f u l l y s h a r e d by a l l o f o u r f e l l o w - c o u n t r y m e n , n e i t h e r y o u r s n o r mi ne . Too many o f t h o s e a r o u n d us have f o r ­g o t t e n t h e t r u e mean i ng o f t h e word and seem p r e p a r e d t o make f a r - r e a c h i n g c o n s e s - s i o n s a nd c o mp r o mi s e s . Our m i s s i o n , y o u r s and mi n e , i s t p make s u r e t h i s n e v e r h a p ­p e n s . By d e v o t i o n , e x p e r i e n c e , and t h e i n ­t e r e s t we h a v e in r e m a i n i n g f r e e , we s h o u l d l e t o t h e r s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d know how much we v a l u e o u r f r e e d o m and s h a l l p r e s e r v e i t w h a t e v e r t h e c o s t . By c e r e m o n i e s and com­me mo r a t i o n such a s t o d a y ' s , we a f f i r m o u r i n t e n t i o n s t o keep t h e Flame o f Freedom a l i v e and b u r n i n g . m e men we remember t o ­day l e f t t h e g e n e r a t i o n a p r e c i o u s h e r i t a g e . ! t i s o u r d u t y t o p a s s t h i s on t o f u t u r e g e n e r a t i o n s . "

Mo n s i e u r Ro b e r t De n i s , Mayor o f Maimedy, made t h e f o l l o w i n g r emar ks on t h i s Memorial Day.

•'On t h e 17t h o f December , 19^^, 86 Amer i can s o l d i e r s , w a r r a n t o f f i c e r s and o f ­f i c e r s f e l l h e r e a t t h e Baugnez c r o s s r o a d s . For t h e 39 t h t i me t o d a y , t h e memory o f t h o s e who d i e d h e r e s u r v i v e s , t h a n k s t o t h e p a t r i o t i c y o u t h , t h e "Baugnez Memor ial A s s o ­c i a t i o n , " t h e Be v e r c e Commune and l a s t l y t h e Maimedy Commune. Let us form in f r o n t o f t h e monument b u i l t in t h e i r h o n o u r .

*'! f we g a t h e r t o d a y , i t ' s b e c a u s e we want t o commemorate t h e memory o f t h e men who f e l l h e r e and t h r o u g h them, t h e memory o f a l l t h o s e who, d u r i n g t h e Second World War, gave t h e i r l i v e s t o d e f e n d o u r t h r e a t ­e ned l i b e r t i e s . But o u r memory mus t go even f u r t h e r . F i r s t o f a l l , we must remem­b e r t h a t wa r s o n l y b r i n g u n h a p p i n e s s and t r a g e d i e s . By n o t f o r g e t t i n g i t , men w i l l go on s t r i v i n g f o r pe a c e and work f o r i t . Next we mus t remember t h a t i f wa r s g e n e r a t e f rom w e a k n e s s e s o f t h e human w i s ­dom, t h e y r e s u l t above a l l f rom t h e m i l i ­t a r y s up r emacy o f some powers o v e r o t h e r s . I f , in 19^ 0 , we had been b e t t e r p r e p a r e d , t h e a g g r e s s o r woul d have h e s i t a t e d b e f o r e i n v a d i n g o u r c o u n t r y and i f ^ t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s o f Amer i ca h a d n ' t i n t e r f e r r e d w i t h t h e i r po we r f u l Army, t h e i s s u e o f t h e war woul d have been c ompr omi s ed .

• ' T h e r e f o r e we mus t remember t h a t t h e p e a c e wc a i l want can o n l y be a c h i e v e d by d e t e r r e n t power , and t h a t t h e l a t t e r can o n l y be o b t a i n e d t h r o u g h t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f an a d e q u a t e m i l i t a r y power l i n k e d t o a good s o l i d a r i t y among t h e n a t i o n s o f t h e f r e e w o r l d . T h e r e f o r e , in t h e p r e s e n t s i t u a t i o n , u n i l a t e r a l d i s a r ma me n t woul d n o t l e a d t o t h e p e a c e we a r e a l l s t r i v i n g f o r . I f we d o n ' t want any war anymor e , i f we want t o a v o i d t h e r enewal o f such t r a g e d i e s a s t h e one we a r e commemora t i ng t o d a y , we mus t no t o n l y s t r i v e f o r p e a c e , b u t a l s o and above a l l , f a c e any p o s s i b l e a g g r e s s o r w i t h an e f f i c i e n t d e t e r r e n t power .

" S u c h a r e a s o n i n g gave b i r t h t o t h e NATO whi c h has been p r o t e c t i n g us f o r 3^ y e a r s .

" L e t ' s wi sh t h a t a l l t h e c o u n t r i e s which a r e members o f t h i s o r g a n i s a t i o n w i l l go on g i v i n g NATO t h e means t o as sume i t s m i s s i o n e f f i c i e n t 1y .

* 9 -

Long l i v e Peace and Freedom! Long l i v e t h o s e who p r o t e c t t h e m ! "

MEMORIAL DAY

As armed f o r c e s v e t e r a n s o f World War I I , we somet imes f i n d o u r s e l v e s l e s s t han undei~ s t a n d i n g o f some few o f o u r former comrades in arms who neve r seem t o l e t go o f t h a t g l oba l c o n f l i c t . They seem o b s e s s e d wi t h a compul s ion t o r e l i v e and r e l a t e t h e i r com­ba t e x p e r i e n c e s and t o keep reminding a l l who w i l l l i s t e n t h a t many o f t h e i r p a l s f a i l e d t o come home. They remain a c t i v e in v e t e r a n s ' o r g a n i z a t i o n s and they promote and a t t e n d e ve r y g a t h e r i n g o f t h o s e who s e r ve d in t h e i r World War II m i l i t a r y o u t ­f i t s .

P e t e r Dounis o f S i l v e r Spr i ng i s such a v e t e r a n . He was a member o f t he 75th I n f a n t r y D i v i s i o n which r e c e i v e d i t s bap­t i s m o f f i r e in Belgium dur i ng t he " B a t t l e o f t he Bulge" in J a n u a r y , 19^5. He has been a pr ime mover in keepi ng t he v e t e r a n s o f t h a t o r g a n i z a t i o n t o g e t h e r and a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a n t s in t h e i r p e r i o d i c c o n v e n t i o n s . He has made s e v e r a l t r i p s back t o t h e World War II b a t t l e g r o u n d s o f t he 75th I n f a n t r y Di v i s i o n . More r e c e n t l y , he has been one o f t he o r g a n i z e r s o f a l a r g e r v e t e r a n s ' o r ­g a n i z a t i o n open to a l l v e t e r a n s on both s i d e s o f t he B a t t l e o f t he Bulge.

We look back ove r t h e l i f e we have l i v e d s i n c e t h e end o f World War II and f i n d t h a t i t has been r i c h , f u l l and r ewar d i ng . We have r a i s e d a f a mi l y , found p r o f e s s i o n a l s a t i s f a c t i o n and s u c c e s s and now a r e b e g i n ­ni ng t o en j oy t h e growing up o f our c h i l ­d r e n s ' c h i l d r e n as t hey begin t h e i r pl easant cyc l e t hrough l i f e . We want t o f ee l a l i t t l e sad f o r P e t e r Dounis , s i n c e perhaps he has not en j oyed t he p a s t 38 y e a r s as we have, because he has s t i l l been wrapped up too t i g h t l y in World War I I .

As we approach a n o t h e r Memorial Day, how­e v e r , our t hough t s about P e t e r Dounis change a l i t t l e and we f ee l a l i t t l e l e s s smug about t he good f o r t u n e s we have enjoyed a l l t hrough ou r pos t -Wor l d War II y e a r s . Whi le we have had t he p l e a s u r e o f t housands o f r i c h , f u l l and r ewardi ng moments in our l i v e s o f t he p a s t 38 y e a r s , t h e r e a r e hun­dreds o f t housands o f f a l l e n Amer icans who never had t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o en j oy one such moment .

You a r e r i g h t , P e t e r Dounis . We shoul d remember t h o s e who made t he u l t i m a t e s a c r i ­f i c e so t h a t t h e r e s t o f us coul d r e a l i z e

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t h e u l t i m a t e b e n e f i t from t h e i r deed. And we s hou l d be g r a t e f u l t o you, t o o , f o r r e ­mi ndi ng us t h a t o u r smugness was pu r c ha s e d w i t h t h e i r b l o o d .

. . . J o h n R. B e n e d i c t , E d i t o r , THE SUBURBAN RECORD, S i l v e r S p r i n g , MD, and VBOB Member, 27 May 1983.

Members _Spe^_OutJ u s t f i n i s h e d t h e second r e a d i ng o f my

f i r s t i s s u e o f THE BULGE BUGLE; one word d e s c r i b e s my f e e l i n g s : " O u t s t a n d i n g . " Al ­ready l ook i ng for war d t o t h e nex t i s s u e . I was a member o f Hq. Co. , 22nd I n f a n t r y Regi ­ment , ^ t h I n f a n t r y (IVY) D i v i s i o n , from Janua r y 19^1 t o August 19^5. Made t he D-Day Landing and e a r n e d f i v e B a t t l e S t a r s .I am a member o f t h e Raymond 0. Bar ton Chapt er o f t h e Na t i ona l 4 t h I n f a n t r y (IVY) Di v i s i o n A s s o c i a t i o n . C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s on t h e f o r ma t i on o f t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n . I am proud t o be a member o f t h i s o u t s t a n d i n g and h i s t o r i c a l g r oup . S i n c e r e l y ,

Cha r l e s E. B a r r e n t i n e MSG. U.S. Army R e t i r e d Oa khur s t , NJ

I must c o n g r a t u l a t e you on t h e p r o g r e s s you have made wi t h o u r s o c i e t y and urge you t o commend a l l o t h e r s r e s p o n s i b l e . The VBOB Annual Repor t and t he C o n s t i t u t i o n and By-Laws a r e o u t s t a n d i n g and much c r e d i t is due f o r t h e c a r e and d e t a i l wi t h which t hey were p r e p a r e d . I t i s indeed a p l e a s u r e t o be l ong t o such an up-and-coming o r g a n i z a t i o n and I look for war d t o d e r i v i n g much s a t i s ­f a c t i o n and p l e a s u r e from my a s s o c i a t i o n s wi t h t he members in t h e coming y e a r s . Wish­ing you a l l c o n t i n u e d s u c c e s s . Most s i n ­c e r e l y ,

Thomas D. Gi 11i s , P r e s .Ca1 i fo r n ia S o c i e t ySons o f American Revo l u t i onGr eenbr ae , CA

I wish t o t hank you f o r your e f f o r t in t h e i n t e r e s t and l a you t o f THE BULGE BUGLE. I t c e r t a i n l y makes d e l i g h t f u l r e a d i n g - i t b r i n g s back memories and t h o u g h t s o f days p a s t - bu t neve r f o r g o t t e n .

Ervin J . Sherk 116 W. C a r p e n t e r Avenue Myerstown, PA 17067

( ^ H y a t t R e g e n c y H o t e l , C r y s t a l C i t y , V i r g i n i a ( W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . )

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Our objectives are —

To perpetuate the memory o f the sacrifices involved during the Battle

To preserve historical data and sites relating to the Rattle

To foster international peace and goodwill

To prom ote friendship among the Battle’s survivors and their descendants

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A ppiicdtiun for m ernuersh ip

VETERANS OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGEP O B ox 1 1 1 2 9 A r lin g to n , V irg in ia ? ? ? 1 0 - 2 1 2 9

ANNUAL DUES: $5 0 0

DONATIONS ARE WELCOME

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c a n g e t a r e a s o n a b l y f a i r e s t i m a t e o f t h e num ber o f members t h a t a r e p l a n n i n g t o a t t e n d t h i s y e a r ' s m e e t i n g a n d p a r t i c p a t e i n t h e v a x i o u s a c t i v i t i e s , i t i s r e q u e s t e d t h a t you c h e c k a p p r o p r i a t e r e s p o n s e b p lo w . We e x p e c t a much l a r g e r a t t e n d a n c e t h i s y e a r t h a n l a s t y e a r . Your c o o p e r a t i o n w i l l b e g r e a t l y a p p r e c i a t e d .

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T h u rs d a y D ec . 1 5 , 5PM S o c i a l H our Yes___ NO___F r i d a y D ec . 1 6 , 9AM B u s i n e s s M e e t in g Yes___ No____F r i d a y Dec. 1 6 , llAM A r l i n g t o n C e m e te ry W re a th L a y i n g Yes__No_S a t u r d a y D ec. 1 7 , 9AM B u s i n e s s M e e t in g Yes __ No__S a t u r d a y D ec . 1 7 , C o c k t a i l s 6 :3 0P M ,B anque t 7 s ^ 5 , Dance 9 : 3 0

Yes No

PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THE ACTIVIT­IES ON THE LEFT BEFORE MAILING THIS CARD. LOCAL MEMBERS ARE URGED TO ATTEND ALL ACTIVITIES.

{*)must be f i l l e d ou t - s e e belowHYATT REGENCY CRYSTAL CITY AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT TELEPHONE; (703) 486-1234

VETERANS OF THE BATTLE 2nd Annual Meet ing D ecem ber 1 5 - 1 7 , 1983

OF THE BULGE

Typ* of Room

Single (1 person)

No. of Roomi

ConventionRates

$ 4 9 . 0 0

‘RegencyClub*

Rack RateDouble (2 people) i 4 9 . 0 0 Rack Rate1 Bed Rm Suite hack k a te Rack Rate2 Bed Rm. Suite Rack Rate Rack Rate

The above ra tes are sub ject to s ta te and local taxes

If all room s in the requested rate category are already reserved, the next available rate will be assigned. 'R egency Club accom m odations include special guest room am en itiesand special food and beverage services

'*Date of A rrival___________I will arrive via __________

*Time of A rrival__________’'tJate of D e p a rtu re _______Check in Time: 3 p.m. ___Check ou t Time: 12 Noon

* N am e__* A ddress .

* T elephone No____Sharing room with.

R eserva tions m ust be received h y 1 1 / 2 4 / 8 3 Your reservation will be held until 6p m un less on e n ig h t's d e p o sit is received o r g u a ra n te ed by c red it c ard below Failure to c an ce l 24 hou rs prior to arrival will re su lt in 1 n ig h t's c h a rg e s billed to you r c red it c ard□ Hold until 6 p.m. only□ G u a ra n tee d by o n e of th e following:P e p o s it of $ _________________________________A m erican E x p ress # __________________________D iners C lub # ________________________________C arte B lanche « _____________________________Master Charge #Visa # ________________________________________Expiration D a te .

Signature.

VETERANS OF THE BA TTLE OF THE BULGE P O S T O F F I C E BOX 1 1 1 2 9

A R L IN G T O N , V I R G I N I A 2 2 2 1 0 - 2 1 2 9

HYATT REGENCY CRYSTAL CITYReservations Dept.2799 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, Virginia 22202

VETERANSof theBATTLE OF THE BULGE

P.O. Box 11129 Arlington, Virginia 22210-2129

NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID ARLINGTON, VA. PERMIT NO. 468

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED FORWARDING a n d RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED

i t

“ This is undoubted ly th e g rea te s t A m erican battle of the w ar and will, I b e liev e , be regarded as an ev er-fam o u s A m erican v ic to ry .”

, Sir W in s to n C h u rc h ill a d d r e s s in g th e H o u s e o f C o m m o n s

fo llo w in g th e B a ttle o f th e B u lge.