The State Bar Association of North Dakota Spring 2015 Gavel Magazine | Page 12

Lynn Aas, wearing his
original combat jacket,
presents a “LUVND” North
Dakota license plate to
students at a Bastogne
school that incorporates
the history of the 17th
Airborne Division in its
World War II studies.

for itself in its significance in this battle,”
says Aas. As the main military event
commemorated during this year’s 70th
anniversary observance, the re-enactors
demonstrated military maneuvers and
retraced the route the 17th Airborne
Division used in liberating the village. A
charity walk is held along the Ridge every
year as part of the region’s commemoration
of the Battle of the Bulge.
The visit brought back strong memories from
70 years ago, says Aas. “There was snow
cover during the battle so some areas were
hard to identify. But the rural countryside is
still the same.”
Aas was impressed with the research the
re-enactors put into the fighting on Dead
Man’s Ridge. “I was able to walk in the
footsteps of where I was 70 years ago and
show my family the location of my foxhole
and where I was wounded. We were housed
in the hamlet of Givry, which was a town we
liberated. During the entire time we felt very
appreciated by the Belgian people for what
we American soldiers did.”
His son, Joe, was also impressed by the
research of the re-enactors. “They made it
possible for us to walk in the footsteps of
where my father fought,” he said. “I was also
struck at how thankful the residents are. They
know what these American veterans did for
them 70 years ago. “
Daughter-in-law Nancy Morris said the
trip helped her better understand what the
Belgians of that area experienced during the
Battle of the Bulge. “This was a life-changing
experience for them 70 years ago. World
War II was fought on their soil, so it’s a
different experience for them than what the
war was for Americans.
“The respect and appreciation the people of
Belgium had for the U.S. soldiers really stood
out for me. They truly appreciate the history
of the liberation of their country and 70 years
later keep it in the forefront of theirs and
their children’s minds,” said Morris.

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THE GAVEL