After 80 years, the heroes of the Battle of the Bulge remind us why we must stand up to tyranny

On the morning of Dec. 16, 1944, German soldiers broke through the fog and snow of Belgium’s dense Ardennes Forest to attack overwhelming American forces in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler’s last attempt to win World War II.

My father served in the war – which killed 19,000 Americans and over 89,000 American casualties – and I just returned from an official, official visit to the battlefield to mark its 80th anniversary and personally thank the veterans of World War II who fought there.

Our visit was a powerful reminder that appeasing dictators never works, and that the United States must continue to stand strong against dictators like Vladimir Putin to keep America safe.

In 1944, Hitler knew that he could not win the war completely. But he believed that after so many years of war, the United Nations was getting tired. He made one last gamble that if he drove his forces between the American and British forces, he could break our will to fight and make us abandon our friends by agreeing to let him keep one of the territories he had conquered in exchange. for peace.

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My father didn’t talk much about his service but he often mentioned how difficult the conditions were. The Germans attacked when thick clouds prevented any Allied air cover. In sub-freezing temperatures and with inadequate equipment, the soldiers marched through unforgiving, dense forests and glaciers. Their armor froze and a terrible condition called trench foot slowed every step. The American lines were bent and almost broken.

But Hitler underestimated the strength, courage and spirit of the Americans. Our soldiers knew that they had to face the war to the end to remove Hitler’s tyranny from the world and preserve freedom. The war, and soon the war, was won.

We can hear echoes of the Battle of the Bulge as Putin tries to advance in Ukraine, trying to divide and eliminate those who love freedom. There are differences, but the difficult situations Ukrainians face today have similarities to the situations faced by the heroes of the Bulge. And like Hitler, Putin knows that while he can no longer win a war outright, he can still win if he breaks America’s resolve to resist him.

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Some suggest that it is in America’s best interest to leave Ukraine. They are wrong. Even when the war is in the middle of the world it affects us, just as Hitler’s invasion of Europe affected my father and millions like him.

As Hitler’s power grew before World War II, he threatened, in 1938, to invade Czechoslovakia. Hoping to appease Hitler and curb his wrath, British and French leaders signed the Munich Agreement, ceding Czech territory to Germany. This emboldened Hitler however, leading him to not only conquer Czechoslovakia, but then invade almost all of Europe before America entered the war and finally defeated him.

Dictators like Hitler and Putin value strength and exploit weakness. If we leave Ukraine now, Ukraine will likely be forced to take a deal that only strengthens Putin. Dictators and terrorists in Iran, North Korea and China will notice and try to exploit what will be seen as America’s obvious weaknesses.

The best way to stand with our partners so that Ukraine is in a strong position to decide its future. Now is the time to show Putin and our enemies around the world that America’s resolve will not be broken.

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The heroes of the Battle of the Bulge left us with an important lesson: Tyranny on the march is pushed back by force, and freedom belongs to the brave – and the wise. By the time America entered the war, Hitler had been strengthened by those who refused to face him when he came to power.

At the 80th anniversary ceremony at the Luxembourg American Cemetery, John Foy, a Battle of the Bulge veteran, reminded us that, at that time, “the freedom we enjoy came at a terrible cost.”

At that cemetery, I was honored to honor the heroes of the Bulge by placing a Senate wreath as part of the memorial service. I thought about how much has changed since 1944, and how the number of living WWII veterans has dwindled.

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It has been 80 years since the last shots of the Battle of the Bulge were fired. For decades, my father has asked me at the table, “What are you doing for freedom today?”

Still the heroes of the Battle of Bakababakeni. Their example of strength and courage still rings true. We cannot be the first generation of Americans to turn our backs, to retreat before dictators and fail to heed their calls.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT SEN. MAGGIE HASSAN