Nows and Forevers

This is the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, the long and brutal clash between the Allied Army and the Nazis in a cold and snowy Dec. 16, 1944, and Jan. 28, 1945, along the German, Belgium and Luxembourg borders. It was a fierce counterattack by the Nazis as the Allies neared the border, and it came sadly as a surprise and trapped a lot of soldiers. That the Allies prevailed took a lot – 19,000 soldiers killed and another 65,000 wounded – but it also led to the defeat four months later of Germany.

It also cuts through my family history. My grandfather, 1st Lt. Edward A. Gough, was there and fought through the entire battle. He survived unscathed from the Bulge, at least physically. He landed a day after D-Day and served in the First Army through Normandy and that drive to the Ardennes, and was wounded in action once that September, according to the service record I have.

It’s stunning to me how quickly Americans forget their history, and fail to appreciate the sacrifices of the men and women who came before us. Even when we owe a lot to them.