A moving ceremony took place on Wednesday morning at the Staten Island/Chapter 52’s Memorial Plaza to commemorate the 71st Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge which started on 16 December 1945.

Invited for the second time by William Abell, President of the Chapter, Luxembourg Consul General Jean-Claude Knebeler laid a wreath, after delivering a moving speech to a large crowd consisting of six Veterans of the fierce battle; their family and friends; and to at least 30 students and their History teacher who come each year on 16 December at 11:00, to pay their respects to the war heroes and their brothers lost on the battlefields.

Planned in 1998, the Memorial was designed by Staten Island architect Anthony Mood, a decorated first lieutenant who fought with the 28th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge. Seven of the Memorial Plaza’s cobblestone rings at the Wolfe’s Pond Park in Staten Island, NY were donated by the Governments of Luxembourg and Belgium. The ceremony concluded with the singing of Irving Berlin’s God Bless America.

It was not the first time Consul General Knebeler had met the Veterans of this particular Chapter. In March, they had been invited to a Luxembourg traditional dinner hosted at the Luxembourg Consulate.

“Welcome Home, Boys!!!”, an unforgettable emotional evening

When Veterans Roger Acker, Carmine “Buzz” Burzamato, Roy Ferlazzo, Gene Gagliardi, Ed Petrozullo, and Joe Reilly learned that they would be the honoured guests of a special tribute to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, and that the guest speaker would be Benjamin Patton, youngest grandson of the late General George S. Patton, Jr., they enthusiastically responded “present” to the invitation.

Organised by the Consulate General and the Luxembourg American Chamber of Commerce (LACC), Welcome Home, Boys!!! took place on 9 November at the River Club - two blocks away from the Luxembourg House to accommodate the large audience.

Following speeches by Consul General Jean-Claude Knebeler and LACC President Michel Franck, and Chapter 52 President William Abell, Benjamin Patton presented a documentary reflecting on the unique relationship between the USA and Luxembourg forged on the battlefields of WWII. Mr. Patton also spoke about his foundation  I WAS THERE, a therapeutic filmmaking workshop for veterans and military families coping with Post-Traumatic Stress. He concluded the evening with the signing of his book Growing Up Patton.

Sharing the stage, singer Adrienne Haan, a dual citizen of Luxembourg and Germany – who had just made her Carnegie Hall debut – accompanied by pianist/arranger Richard Danley, enlivened the evening charming, even flirting with the Veterans singing 1940s repertoire, including This is the Army Mr. Jones by composer Irving Berlin (former owner of the Luxembourg House from 1946 to 1989) who played a significant role in the morale-boosting of the American troops.

“You were right”, said Haan to musical producer and stylist Laurence Pierron (of the Consulate General of Luxembourg), “they wanted to hear these songs. I noticed one of them wiping a tear from his eyes when I sang Lili Marleen”.  No such tribute could have taken place without the singing of God Bless America which Mary Ellin Barrett, first daughter of Irving Berlin, later commented in writing: “Adrienne Haan (...) did such a beautiful rendition of God Bless America”.  

From the 150 people attending, dignitaries included the Deputy Consul Generals of Belgium and France; German Deputy Head/Cultural Affairs; Katherine (Kit) Callahan Forrestal, daughter in law of the late James Forrestal, first US Secretary of Defense (former owner of the Luxembourg House from 1929 to 1946); Mary Ellin Barrett, first daughter of Irving Berlin with her grandson James Matson; as well as Edward Emmet (son of Linda Emmet, second daughter of Irving Berlin) and his spouse Sarah Bright.

Even though Veteran Richard Brookins a.k.a. “The American St. Nick” is not from with Chapter 52/Staten Island, Brigitte Goergen, Executive Director of the LACC, extended him an invitation which he had to regretfully decline as he was too weak to travel to Manhattan.

According to William Abell, the heroes of the Battle of the Bulge were elated, almost “acting like little boys” during the bus ride back home to Staten Island, recounting each moment: their conversations with Benjamin Patton and the many guests, and the sweet kisses from Adrienne Haan during her rendition of “Bei mir bist du schein”.

Photo (middle) by Bill Lyons, Staten Island Advance; other photos by Laurence Pierron