A Memorial Day Tribute to the American Soldier

Every June 6 for many years, no matter where I might be, I would make a respectful phone call to my wife’s Uncle Chuck. I simply wanted to let him know that I was thinking about him on the anniversary of the most important day of the Twentieth Century — D-Day, June 6, 1944. As a young man on that fateful day, Uncle Chuck had parachuted into Normandy, France with the 82nd Airborne Division and was fighting desperately to protect American troops that had just landed on the beaches.

Had the D-Day invasion failed, World War II would have been indefinitely prolonged, further magnifying the forthcoming death and destruction. But on this decisive day the Allies successfully secured the beachhead on the French coast that enabled the final climactic drive to victory against Nazi Germany. Just a couple of weeks ago on May 8 we celebrated the 80th Anniversary of VE Day commemorating the unconditional surrender of Germany and the essential Victory in Europe.

For perhaps forty years after the end of World War II, many historians judged the well trained and often outnumbered German soldier to be the best overall combat soldier of the war. However, in recent decades, some historians led by the late Stephen Ambrose, the founder of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, and history aficionados such as myself, have challenged this thinking and argue that the American soldier was the best combat soldier of the war.

German soldiers and American soldiers clashed numerous times from 1942 to 1945, in North Africa, Sicily, and all-over Western Europe. But the conclusive evidence that supports our reasoning comes from two monumental engagements between German and American forces where the outcome of the battle would substantially determine how the war would end. On both occasions it was the Americans who managed to achieve the victory. At Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion and at the December, 1944 encirclement and siege of the Belgian town of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, both the German and American soldiers knew that everything was on the line and defeat was not an option.

For the amphibious assault on Omaha Beach, the Americans were on the offensive and the Germans were on the defensive. The Germans were defending the high bluffs overlooking the beach, and had both numerical and firepower advantages. The first several waves of American landing troops were decimated on the beach and chaos reigned. For half a day the issue was in grave doubt, but in the midst of the carnage on the beach, individual acts of courage, determination, and initiative eventually prevailed. By the end of the day the American 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions controlled Omaha Beach and prevented the Normandy beachhead from disastrously being split in two.

At Bastogne the situation was reversed. The Germans were on the offensive and the Americans were on the defensive. On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise counterattack in the Ardennes region of Belgium in a huge gamble to turn the tide of the war. The massive German attack punched a large bulge in the front lines of the American forces. The town of Bastogne was right in the middle of that bulge and was the vital crossroads town the Germans had to capture to have any chance of success in their surprise attack. The 101st Airborne Division was rushed to Bastogne and told “to hold at all costs”. Surrounded by several German Panzer divisions and being attacked from all sides, the 101st dug in for a heroic stand sometimes called the “Alamo in the Ardennes”. The Germans demanded “surrender or be annihilated”, but the defiant commander of the 101st responded with the immortal reply, “NUTS”.

In what was surely the best Christmas present any American military unit ever received– even if it was a day late– the 101st held Bastogne until December 26 when General Patton’s advancing army smashed through German lines and broke the siege. Thus, the Battle of the Bulge became a pivotal American victory that would hasten the outcome of the war.

When the chips were down, the outcome of the war was at stake, and you absolutely had to win, it was the American combat soldiers who withstood the duress and danger, absorbed the casualties, and did everything necessary to achieve victory. The American soldier has no peer when it comes to the ability to have lower ranking soldiers spontaneously rise into leadership roles in high casualty, arduous situations, and to adapt, improvise, and deal with adversity on the battlefield.

Our beloved Uncle Chuck was a good, solid, patriotic man who personified the fact that an ordinary American, when trained and motivated as a soldier, would be capable of doing extraordinary things. Good fortune smiled on Uncle Chuck as he managed to survive the Normandy campaign and subsequent operation Market-Garden (the parachute drops along the Rhine River) without injury. However, his luck ran out during the Battle of the Bulge when he suffered severe shrapnel wounds from a mortar explosion. He was listed as Missing in Action (MIA) for several months until his parents received a telegram from the War Department that he was alive and recovering in a military hospital.

This Memorial Day be thankful our country has produced millions of such men and women, willing to put themselves in harm’s way at the risk of their own lives to preserve our freedom. And gratefully remember that over the course of our nation’s almost 250 years, many have made the ultimate sacrifice which we honor on this special day. Might I even suggest that when you next encounter American military personnel, take time to briefly put your busy life on pause and express your sincere appreciation for their service.

Ric Hogan is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Mercer University Law School, and a retired real estate developer on Tybee Island, Georgia. His father and two uncles were veterans of World War II and sparked his lifelong interest in the history of the war.