American Battle Monuments Commission commemorates 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium

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Press release

American Battle Monuments Commission commemorates 80^th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium

U.S. Congressional leaders, senior Belgian officials among guests honoring Allied forces who fought during one of the deadliest campaigns of World War II

ARLINGTON, Virginia. (Dec. 13, 2024) - On Dec.13, the American Battle Monuments Commissionhosted a ceremony at the Battle of the Bulge Monument at Bastogne, Belgium, to commemorate the U.S. service members and allied forces who fought in the Battle of the Bulge 80 years ago.

"Few battles in American history reflect that service and sacrifice more than the Battle of the Bulge: 19,000 U.S. soldiers killed; 47,000 wounded; 23,000 missing or captured," said ABMC Commissioner Brig. Gen. Matthew E. Jones. "The single largest and bloodiest engagement the U.S. fought in Europe in World War II."

More than 300 guests including seven World War II veterans and family members of U.S. service members, U.S. and ABMC officials such as Jones and Secretary Charles K. Djou gathered at the site for the ceremony.

Remarks were given by Jones, Brig. Gen. Andrew O. Saslav, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of U.S. Army Europe and Africa U.S., Representative Michael T. McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Jerry Moran, Bernard Quintin, Belgian Foreign Minister, and Bill Nelson, Administrator of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Head of the U.S. Presidential Delegation.

For more than 100 years, the ABMC has been committed to its mission: honoring the service, achievements and sacrifices of the U.S. service members who made the ultimate sacrifice during American conflicts abroad, including those who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.  

Pictures of the event available here: 80th anniversary of the Battle of Bulge ceremony in Bastogne | Flickr

Credits: Courtesy of American Battle Monuments Commission.

For more information about ABMC, please visit our website abmc.gov or our social media platforms: Facebook, X, Instagramand LinkedIn. 

About American Battle Monuments Commission: 

The American Battle Monuments Commission operates and maintains 26 cemeteries and 31 federal memorials, monuments and commemorative plaques in 17 countries throughout the world, including the United States. The three memorials in the United States are: the Honolulu Memorial located within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu; the West Coast Memorial located within the Presidio National Park in San Francisco; and the East Coast Memorial located within Battery Park in New York City. Since March 4, 1923, the ABMC's sacred mission remains to honor the service, achievements, and sacrifice of more than 200,000 U.S. service members buried and memorialized at our sites. For more information about the ABMC, visit abmc.gov.

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