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!