Keep Christmas in perspective

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I did not remember that your dad was in the Battle of the Bulge. My dad was as well. My dad's unit, the 3rd Armored Division, was north of the breakout, already in Germany, and was the first division-sized unit pulled out of the line and sent to cut off the bulge. His battalion was sent south to secure a crossroads and was cut off by German units in front and back. They spent the day fighting off the Germans. My dad was the XO and in command; the CO had left to establish communications with HQ. At the end of the day, my dad ordered a cross country retreat to a hill town visible from the road, Marcouray. When they got there, they found, Lt. Col Hogan the CO who had been unable to get back to HQ. They spent 5 days in that town surrounded, fighting off repeated German attacks. On the night of Christmas Eve, out of food, ammunition and medical supplies, the 400 men of the battalion destroyed their equipment, snuck down an unguarded ravine and walked 12 miles back to the American lines, leaving behind the battalion surgeon and 25 wounded men..

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