On
Saturday evening there a Holy Mass was celebrated in the church of Bastogne
for brothers of Easy Company who lost their lived during the fierce fighting
in the winter of 1944 (The Battle of the Bulge)
Left: Don Malarkey & Buck Taylor near Gen.McAuliffe's statue in Bastogne.
Above: Buck Taylor reading the history of which he was one of the creators fro
(L)
Jack Foley points out the village (Mande Ste.Etiénne) that he vividly
remembers from WWII.
This is what he told me:
" Why is this little village important - at least to me? And maybe I'm the only one, or one of the few, who remembers that after that long trip from Mourmelon, standing up on that crowded truck, checking and rechecking those MPs, who for us, were the real American MPs, and their directions were accurate. But with fellows who had jumped in Normandy and Holland, here I was, a replacement officer, and so I joined them in their past glory(!) in this little dot on the map - Mande St. Etiénne - night time, crowded and pushing to get off, there I was, on the edge, carbine in one hand, musette bag over my left shoulder, and I jumped! My first and last night combat jump, altitude, not in km but in feet - all of perhaps 4 feet to the ground!
This is what he told me:
" Why is this little village important - at least to me? And maybe I'm the only one, or one of the few, who remembers that after that long trip from Mourmelon, standing up on that crowded truck, checking and rechecking those MPs, who for us, were the real American MPs, and their directions were accurate. But with fellows who had jumped in Normandy and Holland, here I was, a replacement officer, and so I joined them in their past glory(!) in this little dot on the map - Mande St. Etiénne - night time, crowded and pushing to get off, there I was, on the edge, carbine in one hand, musette bag over my left shoulder, and I jumped! My first and last night combat jump, altitude, not in km but in feet - all of perhaps 4 feet to the ground!
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 ©