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Obama commemorates 65th anniversary of Bulge

President Barack Obama released a statement Wednesday marking the 65th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, paying tribute to those who fought and died in Belgium in 1944.

“Their valor defined not only the beginning of the end of a world war, but also one of the greatest generations of Americans,” he wrote. “Like the patriots before them, they stood resolute, confident in their training and determined to preserve those enduring American ideals of freedom and justice.”

At 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 16, 1944, 250,000 German troops smashed into 80,000 poorly equipped and poorly supplied Americans in the Ardennes Forest, attempting to drive the American advance back across the Meuse River, inflict unacceptable numbers of casualties and force the Allies into peace negotiations.

For the first four days, American soldiers fought fiercely in small bands against overwhelming numbers of Germans, but the Army was in disarray and the lines were pushed back into what looked like a bulge on a map. But the lines never broke and after three weeks of brutal fighting in frigid temperatures and driving snow, the Army had regained the ground lost in the battle.

But the cost was staggering. The Army suffered almost 90,000 casualties: 19,276 killed, 23,218 captured and more than 47,000 wounded.

Obama took the opportunity to pay tribute to current military members serving overseas.

“On this anniversary, we reflect on the enduring commitment of our Armed Forces in defending our liberty, as inspiring today as it was in 1944,” the release stated. “The discipline and courage displayed in the Battle of the Bulge continues in Iraq continues in Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever our men and women in uniform are serving”

Read the full release:

In December 1944, in a dense forest in Belgium, a brave band of American soldiers, who were surrounded, poorly supplied and surviving in brutally cold conditions, took the brunt of a furious German assault. Their valor defined not just the beginning of the end of a World War, but also one of the greatest generations of Americans. Like patriots before them, they stood resolute, confident in their training, and determined to preserve those enduring American ideals of freedom and justice. On the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, a grateful Nation remembers the fallen who gave their lives in that critical battle, and we pay tribute to the heroes whose indomitable strength led to victory in World War II.

When asked about the Battle of the Bulge, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill remarked, "This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory." Confronting not just the advancing German Army, but the elements, American service members withstood the assault and eventually repelled the Nazi forces, but at tremendous cost in lives and wounded soldiers.

On this anniversary, we reflect on the enduring commitment of our Armed Forces in defending our liberty, as inspiring today as it was in 1944. The discipline and courage displayed in the Battle of the Bulge continues in Iraq, Afghanistan, and wherever our men and women in uniform are serving. They represent the best of our Nation and we are eternally grateful for their service and sacrifice.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Wednesday, December 16, 2009, as the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. I encourage all Americans to observe this solemn day of remembrance with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA