Easter Sunrise Service

Join Arlington National Cemetery and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall for the annual National Military Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday, March 31, 6:30-7:30 a.m.

Published on: Monday, March 4, 2024 read more ...

Battle of the Bulge Memorial

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The Battle of the Bulge, described by Winston Churchill as "undoubtedly the greatest American battle" of World War II, took place in the Ardennes Forest region of Belgium and Luxembourg from December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945. The last major German counteroffensive on the Western Front, it ended in victory for Allied forces under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower — but at great cost. Soldiers fought in brutal winter conditions, and the U.S. Army lost approximately 19,000 men (and suffered some 75,000 total casualties) in what became the United States' deadliest single World War II battle. 

In 2002, Congress authorized the placement in Arlington National Cemetery of a memorial honoring World War II veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. The memorial was dedicated on May 8, 2006, in a ceremony attended by 300 veterans and family members, along with Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt of Belgium and Luxembourg's secretary of state for culture, Octavie Modert. Its main inscription reads, “To World War II American soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Bulge — the greatest land battle in the history of the United States Army." Text on the base of the memorial reads, "Triumph of courage" and "From the grateful people of the Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg." 

More about the Battle of the Bulge, from the U.S. Army Center of Military History.