.Among the invitees also was present the Grand Daughter of General George S.Patton, Helen. Above: signing my book 'Currahee', while carrying her Grandfather's cane.

The group of Veterans next to the McAuliffe monument
Hellen Patton Plusczyk

Later on that day we met her again in a restaurant where she gave Bob a warm welcome. To Bob a memorable moment that he will not forget for the rest of his life.

Above: A tender tête a tête between Helen Patton and Bob Lott.

Right: Helen surprised us when she started to sing "White Cliffs of Dover" at our table. Bob's son Rob listens attentive.

Saturday afternoon, December 18, 2004, his Royal Highness King Albert II of Belgium came to Bastogne to hand commemorations coins to 6 already selected veterans. Prior to that he threw nuts from the city hall balcony to the gathered people in front of the Bastogne town hall. This is a tradition because Bastogne is also known as "Nuts Town" because of Gen. Mc Auliffe's legendary answer to the German commander when he asked the Allies to surrender.
The King and the US ambassador in an animated converstaion with some of the veterans. Among them the nurses Rose Dewing Young en Kate Flynn Nolan.(left)

After the commemoration at the City Hall there was a spectacular light and sound show in the streets of Bastogne with a lot of vintage Army Vehicles

Among the veterans on Mc Auliffe Square in Bastoge I spotted Jake McNiece.(left) He is a survivor of 4 combat jumps as a pathfinder with the 101st Airborne Division in World War II. It was his job to land with a few other soldiers to mark the drop zones for the rest of the division. He is also the founder of the "Filthy Thirteen", the group that the movie "The Dirty Dozen" was based on. The "Filthy Thirteen" would land behind enemy lines to sabotage or blow up targets and cause general havoc. Jake has written a book about his experiences, entitled "The Filthy Thirteen",

Within the ranks of the 101st Airborne Division Screaming Eagles, a sub-unit attained legendary status at the time, its reputation persisting among veterans over the decades. Primarily products of the Dust bowl and the Depression, the Filthy 13 grew notorious, even within the ranks of the elite 101st. Never ones to salute an officer, or take a bath, this squad became singular within the Screaming Eagles for its hard drinking, and savage fighting skill--and that was only in training. Just prior to the invasion of Normandy, a "Stars and Stripes" photographer caught U.S. paratroopers with heads shaved into Mohawks, applying war paint to their faces. Unknowns to the American public at the time, these men were the Filthy 13. After parachuting behind enemy lines in the dark hours before D-Day, the Germans got a taste of the reckless courage of this unit - except now the men were fighting with Tommy guns and explosives, not just bare knuckles. In its spearhead role, the 13 suffered heavy casualties, some menwounded and others blown to bits. By the end of the war 30 men had passed through the squad.

Throughout the war, however, the heart and soul of the Filthy 13 remained a survivor named Jake McNiece, a half-breed Indian from Oklahoma - the toughest man in the squad and the one who formed its character. McNiece made four combat jumps, was in the forefront of every fight in northern Europe, yet somehow never made the rank of PFC. The survivors of the Filthy 13 (one of them is John Agnew who also was present in Bastogne during the commemoration-right) stayed intact as a unit until the Allies finally conquered Nazi Germany. The book does not draw a new portrait of earnest citizen soldiers. Instead it describes a group of hardscrabble guys whom any respectable person would be loath to meet in a bar or dark alley. But they were an integral part of the U.S. war against Nazi Germany. A brawling bunch of no-goodniks whose only saving grace was that they inflicted more damage on the Germans than on MP's, the English countryside and their own officers, the Filthy 13 remain a legend within the ranks of the 101st Airborne.

In Bastogne 6 members from Band of Brothers were present.

Above left: Ear McLung -webmaster- Buck Compton-Shifty Powers. Above middle: Don and Irene Malarkey and Bill Guarnere. Above right: Bill and Babe.

Is was a pity that they left before the commemorations started. The were the guests of the US Army and had visited an Army unit in Hagenau Germany.

Some pictures Anno 2004. This is how it must have looked like 60 years ago.

The ones below are made in the wood near Foy, were Easy Company had their fox holes in December 1944.

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These photos were taken by Peter van de Wal. I assert the moral right to be recognized as the photographer and the owner of these images in any form. If you wish to use these photos for noncommercial purposes I consent to such use as long as the source of the photos is clearly acknowledged in the same publication as the photos you wish to reproduce.

© Peter van de Wal

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