Nadine De Young, re-enactor, tells stories of the women of WWII. She hopes people never forget them. (U.S. Army photo by Christophe Morel)
75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge: they talk about Bastogne
The city of Bastogne celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge from Dec. 13 to 16. In December 1944 and January 1945, the Germans attempted to mount a definitive counter-offensive against the Allies, with the aim of driving them out of the Ardennes. It became known as the ‘Battle of the Bulge’. This is the biggest operation on Belgian soil during World War II.
We asked five people to explain us why they were in Bastogne this year.
I am with the 101th Division and I am here for the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. It’s a huge accomplishment and a huge experience to be over here. It’s a tradition of this country, and I am very grateful for it.
Something happened 75 years ago and it was important for us to be there. Why? Because it was the last German attempt to regain the field and luckily, it failed. What has been done has allowed us to live in a free country even if some people forgot it. It’s very important to remember.
Today we are here with our flags and we will participate in the parade. Seeing the veterans is wonderful, they are the stars of the day! I am here for family reasons. My father fought in World War II. He was a prisoner of war and stayed five years in Germany. After that he took care of the patriotic demonstrations. It’s normal that I take over, we have to continue.
We are here for the 75th commemorations. We stand or the women. We tell stories of the women of WWII and we hope people never forget them. It is important to be in Bastogne today because there are less and less women reenacting today. However, the women were very important during WWII and they are almost forgotten. We think it’s important to tell their stories.
Special to the Gazette