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Plans for Battle of the Bulge commemoration taking shape



By Kevin Dougherty, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, October 1, 2007



For many U.S. servicemembers and civilians in Europe, the annual Battle of the Bulge remembrance in Bastogne, Belgium, ranks high on their to-do list.
In 12 short weeks, thousands of people, hundreds of World War II re-enactors and scores of Americans will congregate in the streets and hillsides of Bastogne to commemorate the largest land battle in Army history.
This year’s tribute is scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 15-16. Annually, a different section of the old perimeter line encircling Bastogne is highlighted. This time the focus is on the towns of Hemroulle, Champs and Longchamps, northwest of Bastogne, which was an area held by the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment.
An integral part of the yearly celebration is the memorial walk through the designated area of interest. The walk, which offers three different distances, starts at the town sports center. In a break from recent years, the walk will end at St. Pierre Church, where city officials will greet walkers with food, drinks and music.
On the road connecting the towns of Hemroulle and Champs, a re-enactment group from the United States will parachute out of a vintage C-47 Dakota aircraft.
“The area holds great historical significance,” said Edward B. Lapotsky, a co-organizer of the walk and a retired Army airborne veteran. “There were three distinct fights in each of those towns.”
Some of the details of the annual commemoration are still being worked out, but for general information go to the following Web site, which has information in English. The Web site is: www.bastogne.jemesouviens.fr.



Stars and Stripes: Plans for Battle of the Bulge commemoration taking shape




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