20K Roadmarch through Bastogne? "Nuts!"

I shifted gears yesterday from the routine and headed up to Bastogne, Belgium for a little walk through the woods. This wasn't just any walk, though. This was the 63nd Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge and to commemorate the glorious allied victory, they hold a 20K march around Bastogne. The route took us through the very battlefield where many years before, the 101 Airborne Division struggled to hold on to the ville of Bastogne during the surprise German counterattack known as the Battle of the Bulge. Check out some additional history behind this battle which can be seen at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bastogne

As for the walk, I was accompanied by a Navy Chief Petty Officer from my unit at Ramstein. Not only is he an honorary Californian (spent about 7 yrs at Camp Pendleton before coming to Germany), he also served in Iraq during the Battle of Falluhja. Definitely interesting to get his persective on things which kept my mind off the strain of hiking six hours with a 40 pound rucksack strapped on our backs.

Perhaps the coolest thing about the march was seeing all of the reinactors decked out in WWII garb. There must have been nearly a thousand "troops" in Bastogne yesterday. They too were walking right along with us which really gave one the sense of what it was like to be back there during the battle. Even better, they brought all their toys out as well. During the march, we saw everything from tanks to jeeps to C-47s dropping a bunch of paratroopers overhead. It was too cool. The only thing that didn't exactly replicate the battle was the weather. While it was super cold (a high of 31), the sun was bright and shiny. During the actual battle, there was snow everywhere in the Ardenne forest and the visibility was poor which prevented the Americans from using our superior airpower.

As the story goes, the senior ranking American officer, Gen McAullife, was approached by a German emissary who informed him that he and his fellow Americans were surrouned and suggested they surrender. He replied, "Nuts" and the German were dumbfounded by his reply. Apparently, something was lost in translation. Anyhow, they eventually got the message and the seige continued. As a tribute to this uniquely American reply, many of the hikers ate nuts at the end of the hike. Honestly, I was too spent at the end of the whole thing that the only thing I wanted to do at the end was to have some delicious Beligan beer. Se magnifique!

The day ended with a parade through the main drag through downtown Bastogne. Seeing the American flag and Belgian flag side by side at the head of the parade was too cool for words. Moreover, the honor of leading the parade went to a group of US Army soldiers (the real thing this time). Seeing a group of their veterans from the battle march side by side with American soldiers was also very touching. Unlike some other parts of Europe, the Belgians are still very friendly with Americans and still are very grateful for the sacrifice of our soldiers in December of 1944.