In Color Part 4

NOCHER, DAHL and HEIDERSHEID, Luxembourg

I will be honest I didn't know how to start this part of the story.  Up until this point of our trip, it had just been our family. We knew we were meeting up with a group of veterans in Luxembourg that were also part of the 80th Division but we did not anticipate how it would change our lives.

We traveld to the small villages of Luxembourg - Heidersheid, Dahl and Nocher - where Papaw fought in the Battle of the Bulge (Ardenne Forest) between December 20, 1944 and January 18, 1945. 

It is here where Papaw fought in frigid sub-zero temperature and deep snow.  Nocher is where Papaw took that piece of shrapnel in his arm, walked over a mile to a FAS (First Aid Station) in the snow with his arm bleeding and leaving a red trail from the spot where he was wounded.

When we got to Luxembourg, were treated to  a special dinner hosted by Burgermeister The Mayor of Goesdorf, Mr.  Norbert  Maes, the elected official for the territory (or 'county') where Nocher and Dahl are located.
It is here where we met the members of CEBA , the Veterans that we nicknamed "The Fab Five" and their families.

CEBA  is an organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the United States military role in liberating the country of Luxembourg


The people of Luxembourg love Americans and are still so appreciative of their liberation from Germany.  Papaw's regiment was instrumental in liberating several towns in Luxembourg.

The plaque that is attached to the monument in Heidersheid.  It is "A Memorial for Valiant Soldiers - the United States 80th Division Infantry" during combat in the Ardennes (Forest) 1944 - 1945, better known as the Battle of the Bulge.

This picture was taken by my parents during their first trip a couple of summers ago.  It's a shot of the countryside near Heidersheid where the 80th Division marched to get into position to take on the Nazi army.  They came up over this terrain and set up on the high ground. Still a couple of miles from where Papaw was wounded.

From 319th Infantry Morning Reports and After Action Reports, we know that Papaw's Company G, which was part of 2nd Batallion, was attached to 3rd Batallion for the "Attack on Nocher" at 0700 hours on the morning of 18 January 1945.


So there we were January 18, 2015, 70 years to the day that Papaw was wounded.  

(Keep in mind that I took this picture about a block from where the closest aide station was.  So the distance in this picture from the electrical pole  in the distance to where I was standing, is about the distance Papaw would need to walk to get help.)

These records were able to pinpoint the spot where Papaw's  unit was involved in the bloody battle that resulted in him being Severely Wounded In Action (SWA). Through the investigation of these records we know that Papaw was wounded in the village of Nocher, Luxembourg. The field above - just West of Nocher, Luxembourg - is the area that the Germans were shelling heavily and where Papaw's Company G was fighting when he was wounded.

According to the written reports, the battle started at 0700 as a surprise attack and wasn't over until 1230.  The field in the above picture is the spot where Papaw's Company was fighting and where he was wounded. 

My dad says that when you read accounts of the battle of Nocher you realize these men (most of them boys) witnessed hell on Earth.  Over 100 American troops were wounded or killed in this battle on the morning of January 18, 1945.

Nearby is the Luxembourg American Cemetery.  Many 319th Infantrymen, all killed in action on January 18, 1945.

This is a picture of me holding a piece of shrapnel like the kind that hit and wounded papaw in his arm.

This is the plaque on the roadside memorial between Dahl and Nocher. 
Note the Blue Ridge Division (nickname for the 80th) insignia on the right hand side.

In addition, CEBA was able to identify the very building that was used as the First Aid Station.  Ironically, they came to know about this from a German soldier (veteran) that had been wounded and surrendered to American troops in Nocher and brought to the aid station to be treated before being processed as a prisoner.  He came back to the area several years ago and vividly remembered the church and the house and the basement where he was treated.  It turned out to be the home of a Priest next door to the church in Dahl, Luxembourg.  We were able to go inside the house and into the basement where the aid station was set up. 

If you know the story, Papaw collapsed when he reached the aid station (due to the loss of blood).

This is my dad from their trip  in 2012, standing in front of the house that was used as the aide station.

This is the house that served as the First Aid Station where Papaw walked to after being wounded.  At the time, it served as a parsonage for the Priest of the church next door.  The basement was where the station was located and the entrance was on the backside.

The church next to the house - the house is no longer a parsonage, but is a private residence with a day care center.

My dad back in 2012 and Camille (from CEBA) standing outside the basement door of the house that served as the First Aid Station.  Papaw  would've entered this doorway where the Medics, nurses and nuns were attending to the wounded.  Clearly, the exterior of this house has been repaired and modernized in the 70 years since the war, but surprisingly, the interior of the basement still looked to be in its originally-built condition.

Dad inside the basement and room where wounded soldiers were treated.
 

My dad, Bill entering a room in the basement.  Electric fixtures looked to be war-era, still today.

Sink in the basement that was present when the room was used as aid station. The current owner of the house confirmed that this sink was part of the original structure.  Nurses and medics would've used this during the time the house served as an aid station.

At this point, Papaw earned his ticket home. The war was over for him.  After we left the aide station we talked about how it must have been a mixed emotion for Papaw.  To have spent all that time and seen all the things he did, and lived to tell about it-he was probably ready to head home... Yet, on the other hand, there could have been a sense of disappointment in not getting to see the end of what he had started.  

From what I experienced in the short 21 years that I knew him, I would say he was more happy to leave than not. There were only little clues around the house that told this part of his story.  He seemed happy to leave it where he left it and not look back.  He was happy to go home to Kentucky, to his parents. to his family and friends.  To painting houses and smoking a pipe.

From what I understood he built that little yellow house shortly after returning home, where he would raise his family and sit out under the tree and wave at those who pass by, watch his grandkids dig in the dirt with his wife's good kitchen spoons, humming and teaching them songs from church, snapping green beans in the summer and sipping sweet tea.

That's what I imagine he was dreaming about as they carried him off to head home.

Home.  There really is no place like it.

Below is the picture that we all were familiar with.. the one where he was awarded The Purple Heart.


I am glad I got to see it in color.

**More to come about The Fab Five, CEBA, and everything else I have missed... Thanks to all of you for reading and taking interest in such an emotional trip for our family!

In Color Part 3

Epping-Urbach-Volmuster, France (Lorraine Region) and Utweiler, Germany

On December 19, 1944, Papaw was in the final day of The Lorraine Campaign. Later that night, the 80th would be ordered by General Patton to head North to Luxembourg for the Battle of the Bulge. But prior to moving out, Papaw's unit was in a battle with the Germans near the France-Germany border in an area known as Epping-Urbach, France. Epping and Urbach are small towns that had been cleared by the Nazis when they entered France and took "possession" of the area in 1940. 

In this picture is my daughter Cassity and my dad Bill standing at the line of France and Germany.

During the fighting on that day, Papaw performed an heroic feat that earned him the Bronze Star medal.

We always knew Papaw was awarded the Bronze Star medal, but never knew the details. Thanks to the declassification of military records we have this information. My dad says that one thing Papaw always said about this feat was that he didn't think the young man he saved survived. He said he believed he heard that he died from his wounds. Even after all this research, we never knew the man's name and records don't identify him. 

Papaw's Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medals. 

My dad says that Papaw kept these medals in their original box in a dresser drawer in his bedroom.  He would get them out occasionally, but they were never displayed or put in a place of honor.  He simply kept them in a box, almost hidden in a bedroom dresser drawer.
I do not have any  memory of ever seeing these.

So, on this day we traveled back to the Lorraine Region and to Epping-Urbach, France to visit the very site where Papaw pulled his comrade off the battlefield and out of harms way.

My dad had arranged a meeting with a local historian and interpreter to take us to the spot where this battle occurred.  We met our local historians, Joseph Sprunk and an interpreter, Phillip, in Volmunster, France, just a few miles from Epping and Urbach.
They were incredible.

My parents had met Joseph and Phillip during their last visit to the area a few years ago. My parents told us that as a child, Joseph's family was taken away from the area by the Nazis, and that he broke down and cried as he told the story in fluent French. Tears know no language, my parents said they all wept with him as Phillip interpreted Joseph's words about the atrocities performed on his family and people of this region. 

 
The first thing I noticed was how similar the area was to Kentucky.  The part of the field where Papaw helped his wounded friend was hilly-very much like the area we are from..

 
I wondered if Papaw noticed those things too?

As usual, it was hard to imagine the bullets, mortar, artillery, blood shed and death-all around.
I imagined Papaw turning back and picking up his wounded friend and carrying him to safety. I imagined Papaw must have said something encouraging and comforting to his friend trying to keep him calm just as he lovingly comforted us kids growing up.

We all hope that in a situation like Papaw found himself in that day, if we saw a friend that was wounded, and gunfire is coming at you from all directions , that we would try to help them.

The reality is-would we? Really?

This was a life and death moment. Most of us will never have to make ANY kind of decision  while being shot at-when it's our life on the line-I don't know exactly what I would have done if I were Papaw!?

What kind of bravery and compassion and selfless courage that must have taken!  I know that I think he is a hero not just to this friend that he tried to save, but to his children, to his grandchildren, to his great-grandchildren and his country, that because of his efforts-and the efforts of our military, most of us will never be able to imagine war in our neighborhoods and towns.

Below is the citation from the 80th Division Headquarters, General Order #37, dated February 6, 1945:

"William Black, 35643709, Sgt, Inf, Army of the United States. For heroic achievement in France on 19 December 1944, in connection with military operations against an enemy of the United States. On 19 December 1944, in the vicinity of Epping Urbach, France, a member of the platoon led by Sgt Black was seriously wounded during a heavy mortar and artillery barrage by the enemy. Realizing that his comrade would suffer more wounds if allowed to remain in his exposed position, Sgt. Black, in company with another enlisted man, with utter disregard for his own safety, succeeded in reaching and carrying the injured man to safety despite the enemy fire. The courage, leadership, and constant devotion to duty displayed by Sgt Black are in keeping with the finest traditions of the armed forces of the United States. Entered military service from Kentucky."


Below, is the day I first met my Papaw Bill.  November 1980

In Color Part 2

I took this picture standing outside the Museum at Utah Beach.  Papaw marched off the boat and straight down this road through a town called Sainte Marie Du Mont.

**Remember: Papaw did not come to Utah Beach until 60 days AFTER D-Day.

Two years ago, when my parents first toured this area with a guide, they were surprised to have learned that they would be presented with  a certificate from the mayor proclaiming Papaw Bill a Citizen of Sainte Marie du Mont, France. (Is it me, or does the mayor look 15 years old?)

This is my dad Bill Black (Junior) accepting signed document of honorary citizenship on behalf of his dad, Sgt. William Black

Accompanying medallion with inscription of "In Recognition Of Your Duty"
We did not spend a lot of time here during our trip, however, I was fascinated with the church in the center of town.  It was so old!   I trailed off from our group and took pictures of the architecture and history that must be soaked into those walls. (That is, until my phone died.  My battery lived at 20% charged the entire time we were in Europe. It became the family joke.  More on that kind of stuff
later..)

During the early hours of June 6th (D-Day), American paratroopers dropped in behind enemy lines in and around this village, with the objective of securing key targets prior to the allied beach landings. Although elements of the 501st and 506th Airborne were scattered all over the area after the parachute drop, General Taylor regrouped the men and took the Germans by surprise. The village was under allied control later that afternoon.

I kept wondering if these walls could speak-what would they say!  As it turns out-the walls did speak! ...well, kind of!

Throughout this tiny village, there are wall plaques that describe the events of that fateful day. Around every corner, there is a story that depicts the heroics of those brave men of the Airborne Divisions.


Something that I found interesting was that this gigantic and beautiful church almost seemed out of place for such a little village. I read that the bell tower was utilized  by the Germans during the war as an observation point. 

***For fans of Band of Brothers, you will remember in the second episode, "The Day of Day's", Richard Winters mentioning this famous part of France. In the final scenes of this episode, soldiers from Easy Company are eating and resting in the back of trucks. Winters looks out and views the allied and German battles raging in the distance and declares: "at the end of the war, I will find a piece of land and live the rest of my life in peace".

Most of you did not know my Papaw so I am trying to paint a picture of who he was to me, at the end of each of my posts.

Today, I remembered one summer day as a kid, sitting under the tree with Papaw and him teaching us this song. Occasionally it will pop in my head and will remind me of dancing around that little yard in Eastern Kentucky singing with my Papaw.

Someday Touched Me