Category: D-day
WWII veteran honors Gen. Patton’s legacy with touching gravesite tribute alongside renowned general’s granddaughter
Dennis Boldt was a 19-year-old private in the Army when he landed on the shores of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
On the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024, the San Antonio-based organization Walk Among Heroes arranged for Boldt and several fellow World War II veterans to return to the battlefields where they had served with valor decades earlier.
‘You are carrying the torch of the fallen.’
“Dennis met the president [or] leader of nearly every democratic nation, and he met Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and many other celebrities,” Walk Among Heroes president and founder Jeff Wells told Blaze News. “What continuously took me by surprise was the humbleness and gratefulness Dennis expressed to everyone he met. Dennis 100% could not understand why he was being treated like ‘royalty,’ in his words. They call his generation the ‘Greatest Generation’ for a reason. They are humble and truly believe they were just ‘doing their job.’”
During last year’s trip, Boldt had the opportunity to visit the grave of General George S. Patton Jr. in Luxembourg American Cemetery for the first time. Boldt, who served in the Third Army under Patton, was accompanied by the late general’s granddaughter Helen Patton.
“This is something I had never expected in my life,” Boldt said as he rested his hand on Patton’s gravestone, which was surrounded by flowers and American and French flags.
“I knew that I had served under him, but to be at his gravesite, with … his granddaughter, how is this possible for me?” he stated.
RELATED: What we owe our veterans this D-Day
Boldt expressed his deep appreciation for Patton’s leadership.
“Greatest honor that ever could have been presented to me and all my other comrades — that we … served under General Patton,” Boldt stated. “He was our leader. If it had not been for his thrust with the saber forward, we could not have made it.”
“It was our leader that led us to victory,” Boldt added.
Boldt also visited the Normandy American Cemetery for the first time, where he met with a young active-duty soldier and shared a powerful message with him.
“I thank you,” Boldt told him. “You are carrying the torch of the fallen.”
At the conclusion of his trip, he shared some warm words with Walk Among Heroes.
“I’d like to say this: I feel like an old prospector that’s out in the field looking for a fortune. And I have found it,” he said as he pointed to those around him. “You people are my second family. I want you to know that. I think of you as my brothers and sisters. What you have all done for me here has made my time here valuable beyond all words.”
Boldt celebrated his 101st birthday in December.
When asked what fuels Walk Among Heroes, Wells shared that it is “our debt of gratitude for these heroes who paved the way for all us.”
“Their service and sacrifices allow us to enjoy the greatest privilege in the world — freedom. We must take advantage of every opportunity to honor them and thank them,” Wells added.
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WWII veteran honored with victory medal during ‘very emotional’ return to Battle of the Bulge
After the Allied forces successfully stormed Normandy, France, on D-Day, the German army launched a 200,000-strong counteroffensive on December 18, 1944, in the Ardennes region in Eastern Belgium. The attack marked the beginning of World War II’s Battle of the Bulge.
Over 700,000 Allied troops, including Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr.’s Third Army, were involved in the combat that lasted 41 days.
This December, Walk Among Heroes brought U.S. Army veteran John “Jack” Moran to Bastogne, Belgium, for the 81st anniversary of the start of the battle.
‘To me, just seeing the reactions of the Belgian people, thanking Jack over and over again, makes it all worthwhile.’
Moran, a former Army staff sergeant and member of Patton’s Third Army, joined the military at the age of 18 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne.
Moran shared his firsthand account with Walk Among Heroes about crossing the Rhine River, the final major natural barrier for Allied forces advancing into Nazi Germany. The effort to cross the river, known as Operation Plunder, began in March 1945.
“There’s no way in the world that 142 men can do anything and keep quiet,” Moran explained. “They can’t. It’s an impossible possibility.”
A local Belgian girl takes a photo with Jack Moran. Image source: Walk Among Heroes
“So we slowly slip our paddles into the water, start paddling out into the middle of the … river. All of the sudden, the Germans light it up, just like this room — even brighter than this room,” he continued. “And here we are, sitting right there.”
“They opened up on us with five heavy machine guns,” Moran said. “Chopping us up badly. We lost half our men.”
During the trip, Moran met Bill White, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, who presented the WWII veteran with the Victory in Europe Medal at the 101st Airborne Museum. Walk Among Heroes reported that the crowd was “very emotional” when Moran received the medal.
RELATED: What we owe our veterans this D-Day
U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Stacey Feinberg meets Jack Moran. Image source: Walk Among Heroes
“In recognition of your military service during the Second World War, this is to certify the award of the Victory in Europe Medal to Staff Sergeant John Moran,” the announcer stated.
“Your fight for freedom and democracy is in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon yourself, the 87th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.”
“To me, just seeing the reactions of the Belgian people, thanking Jack over and over again, makes it all worthwhile,” Walk Among Heroes president and founder Jeff Wells told Blaze News.
Wells explained that Moran had plans to visit Patton’s grave at the Luxembourg American Cemetery. He noted that Moran would be accompanied by Patton’s granddaughter, Helen Patton.
“General Patton was Jack’s commander, so we are very excited to visit with him,” Wells said.
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