inflatable ride on24

Seventy years after the end of WWII’s Battle of the Bulge, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs sits down with Veterans who were there to listen to their stories. Living History is documentary-style web series where Veterans of different wars and generations discuss their experiences before, during and after war with each other.

The first web series features four American Veterans who fought and lived through World War II and the Battle of the Bulge. They met in November 2014 in the WWII History Room at Ft. Meade, Maryland. Surrounded by personal artifacts, uniforms and military memorabilia, they reminisced about their younger days and the brutality of the Ardennes campaign. Part 1 focuses on their backgrounds and life before the war.

Living History: Battle of the Bulge was produced with the assistance of The Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, a membership organization dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the sacrifices involved during the Battle of the Bulge. To learn more about the Battle of the Bulge, its living Veterans and preserving the history and memory of the battle, visit the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge website.

Special thanks to the band Carbon Leaf for use of the song “The War Was in Color” as the opening theme for Living History: Battle of the Bulge. Thanks, also, to Synthesis Production for the use of their footage from the December 2014 reenactment of the battle in Recogne, Belgium.

Early in the morning of December 16, 1944, German troops began an assault on U.S. and Allied forces in Europe. The Battle of the Bulge had begin. Seventy years later, VA’s Digital Media Engagement team sat down with four Veterans to learn about their experiences during the battle. Mike Levin, Douglas Dillard, John Schaffner and Al Shehab were there in December 1944. They experienced the battle from different perspectives: artillery, airborne, infantry, cavalry. The stories they shared were harrowing, heart breaking, and yet inspirational. Here’s a preview of the full-length interview that will premiere in January 2014.