69 years have passed today since the victorious conclusion of the long fought Battle of the Bulge in the Belgian Ardennes, one of the greatest Allied victories of the Second World War in Europe. 36 days of battle led to another great victory for the joint Allied forces against the German Army and Air Force, thus breaking the German offensive and breaking the border defenses for good, at the cost of more than 90,000 Allied deaths as against 67,000 of the German armed forces and 3,000 civilians who fell in battle. As a result, the entire 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) today holds in its honors the Presidential Unity Citation from the victory in this important battle. And at the vanguard of that division in all those days in the snowy battlefields was no less than Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, by first led by 1LT Norman Dike and later on by 1LT Ronald Spiers, supervised by battalion commander LTCOL Robert Strayer and deputy commander CPT Richard Winters, that lost so many of its combat veterans and newbies in this battle. Also awarded, among others, was the all-black 333rd Field Artillery Battalion, for its efforts in the Siege of Bastogne. Belgium and the world remembers today one of the greatest victories in the history of modern warfare, whose memory lives on forever in the hearts and minds of all who took part, as well as all who serve today in the military forces! As the men of Easy Company will say: WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER! ETERNAL GLORY AND MEMORY TO ALL THE HEROES AND THE FALLEN OF THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE!! LONG LIVE THE LEGENDARY 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION, THE BATTERED BASTARDS OF BASTOGNE, AND THE OTHER VICTORIOUS ALLIED UNITS THAT ENDURED THE SNOW, ICE, AND THE COLD TO ACHIEVE VICTORY OVER THE AXIS POWERS! And most of all, LONG LIVE EASY COMPANY, 2ND BATTALION, 506TH PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT, 4TH BRIGADE COMPANY TEAM, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR ASSAULT), 18TH AIRBORNE CORPS, UNITED STATES ARMY!! CURRAHEE! AIR ASSAULT! ARMY STRONG! HOOAH! 1515H, January 25, 2014, the 238th year of the United States of America, the 239th of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 67th of the United States Armed Forces and the 69th of the great victories in Europe and the Pacific. Semper Fortis, John Emmanuel C. Ramos Makati City, Philippines (Requiem for a Soldier) (Salute) (March of the Belgian Paratroopers)
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 07:21:34 +0000
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