As long as there have been American Armed Forces, there have been American soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who spent Christmas standing in harm’s way. And 74 years ago, just outside the Belgian city of Bastogne, my grandfather was one of them.
The winter of 1944 was especially brutal, leaving some survivors of the nearly month-long campaign to wonder whether the German army or the frigid temperature was the more formidable foe. Others would come to be thankful for the cold, as it slowed the blood loss of the wounded.
My grandfather, SSG William Franklin Greenplate, was a mechanic who had traded family cars and farm equipment for heavy tanks. He left behind his wife and three young children when he went to war, and he was eventually assigned to the 12th Armored Group, 9th Armored Division.
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ReplyDeleteA friend's father is a Bulge survivor; both France and Belgium continue to honor surviving Bulge veterans.
My mom's cousin was less fortunate; he was 17 and a Bulge casualty.