I am writing this on Memorial
Day. A day to celebrate and honor those
who have passed before us and particularly those men and women who have served
our country in the army, the navy, the air force , the marines and the coast
guard. Those who have served in the military, whether they died during service or they came home from their wars and died at some point later in life, they are true
American heroes. I respect them, I admire
them and I am thankful for their service.
Even if the war in which they served was not popular, these men and women of the military did
their duty for their country, I should say our country, sacrificing their lives, physical and emotional
health and just normal civilian living such as going to school, starting families and
starting professions.
Yesterday I thought about something
I did in October 22 years ago. For my 40th
birthday in October 1992, I went to Amsterdam, Belgium and Luxembourg. On my birthday, October 22nd, I
was in Luxembourg. I visited the
American Military Cemetery in Luxembourg.
I walked the rows of white crosses and Stars of David, each with the name
of soldier killed in action in World War II.
Here are some details about the
cemetery:
Dedicated 1960
Location Luxembourg
Burials 5,076
Missing in Action 371
Acres 50.50
Many of these soldiers died in
the Battle of the Bulge. Here is a blurb
about the Battle of the Bulge from Wikipedia:
The Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a
major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes
region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg on the Western Front
toward the end of World War II in Europe. The surprise attack caught the Allied
forces completely off guard. United States forces bore the brunt of the attack
and incurred their highest casualties for any operation during the war. The
battle also severely depleted Germany's armored forces on the western front
which Germany was largely unable to replace. German personnel and Luftwaffe
aircraft also sustained heavy losses.The Germans' initial attack included 200,000 men, 340 tanks and 280
other tracked vehicles. Between 67,200 and 100,000 of their men were killed,
missing or wounded.For the Americans, 610,000 men were involved in the battle, of whom
89,000 were casualties, including up to 19,000 killed. It was
the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II
As I was walking through the rows
of crosses, I grew misty eyed as I read the names of men or should I say boys,
who died at age 17, 19, 19, 20 and
21. Certainly there were older men who
were laid to rest there but it seems that most were so young. Each was
someone’s son, or brother or father or husband or friend. It struck me that day that each cross or Star
of David was not just a white memorial but was the representation of a hero
that had his own story of life, love, family, friends and tragic death.
As I walked the rows of crosses and stars there were tears
in my eyes. Eventually I came upon a white stone cross of a 21 year old man from Nephi, Utah.
I was stunned, Nephi is a small town some 90 miles south of Salt Lake
City. Here in this quiet cemetery in Luxembourg some 5,200 miles from Nephi,was a 21 year old soldier who died in the Battle of the
Bulge. As I read his name and traced my
fingers on the engraved letters on his memorial cross, I
wondered about him, his family, his death.
I thought about him for some time after that trip but then, like most
things, the memory of that day was confined to the recesses of my mind.
The Lovely Sharon and I are going
to Europe this summer and we will spend a day or so in Luxembourg. A few days ago I was thinking about our upcoming trip. I
thought about the Luxembourg cemetery and I thought about this man from Nephi, Who was he? I did a
google search and found the following from the Salt Lake Tribune:
THE SALT LAKE
TRIBUNE, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, MONDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 19, 1945, PAGE SEVEN
NEPHI SOLDIER
KILLED IN REICH BATTLE
Pfc. James L.
Belliston, formerly reported missing in action, has been designated killed in
action Jan. 26 in Germany. Holder of the
silver star for gallantry in action, Pfc. Belliston entered the army in August,
1943, and was assigned overseas a year later. A native of Nephi, he was
graduated from Juab high school at Nephi prior to entering the services.
Survivors
include his mother, Mrs. Alberta Belliston, Nephi, who is spending the winter
at San Diego, Cal.; two brothers, Alan Belliston, Nephi, and Walter J.
Belliston, San Diego, and a sister, Mrs. Rose Mary Miller, Piqua, O.
James L.
Belliston, Jr.
ID: 39918969
Entered the
Service From: Juab County, Utah
Rank: Private
First Class
Service: U.S.
Army, 376th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division
Died: Friday,
January 26, 1945
Buried at:
Luxembourg American Cemetery
Awards:
Silver Star, Purple Heart
Note: Entered
the service from Utah.
Burial: Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial
Hamm, Luxembourg,
Luxembourg
Plot: Plot: E
Row: 13 Grave: 54
Here he was, James L. Bellinston, Jr. from Nephi,
UT, buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery, Plot E., Row 13, grave 54. An
American hero, Silver Star and Purple Heart.
This man from Nephi, who in the service of our country, died at age 21
in the Battle of the Bulge. Just reading
the Salt Lake Tribune article makes me cry.
If he had lived, what difference might there be in the world. Would he had been a wonderful husband or
father? Would he have been the mayor of
Nephi, an inventor, a farmer? Who knows?
James Belliston, 70 years after your death, I
wonder about you, I admire you and I thank you.
I have heard about "Uncle Jimmy" my whole life. I am Walter Belliston's daughter. He knew about my oldest sister, Susan, born 9/16/1944 but none of the rest of us, brother Vance, me, and Bill, the youngest.I think about him every memorial day. His sister, Rosemary, is still living and we celebrated her 100th birthday last March. Recently she told us about when she and her mother, Alberta, first received the sad news.
ReplyDeleteIt took awhile for it to sink in. Aunt Rosemary still supports the college he briefly attended and hoped to finish after the war. I often wonder what he would have been like if he had survived. He was dearly loved by many people and not forgotten even after all these years. Jim was born shortly after is father died from pneumonia and was named James Leslie Belliston II, after his father. Thank you for remembering my Uncle Jim. My broyhers and sister thank you too.