On the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII’s Battle of the Bulge, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs debuts a new video web series.  Living History is documentary-style web series where Veterans of different wars and generations discuss their experiences before, during and after war with each other.

The first web series features four American Veterans who fought and lived through World War II and the Battle of the Bulge.  They met in November 2014 in the WWII History Room at Ft. Meade, Maryland. Surrounded by personal artifacts, uniforms and military memorabilia, they reminisced about their younger days and the brutality of the Ardennes campaign.

Produced by VA’s digital media engagement team within the Office of Public Affairs, Living History: Battle of the Bulge will be released in four parts on the Vantage Point blog, and VA’s social media channels, including YouTube and Facebook.

Living History: Battle of the Bulge features:

• Douglas Dillard was born in 1925, and grew up in Atlanta, Ga., during the Great Depression. He was 16 when he volunteered to join the U.S. Army on July 3, 1942. After training, he was sent to Company A of the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion. Douglas made his first combat jump on August 15, 1944, in the South of France.
• Alfred Shebab was born in 1919 and grew up in Cape May, N.J. The son of Lebanese immigrants tried to join the free French Army when WWII broke out in Europe, but was stopped by his father. He later joined the U.S. Army in New York and graduated from OCS at Fort Knox in August 1942. He was assigned to the 37th Armored Regiment, 4th Armored Division.
• Mike Levin was born in Nebraska, and lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Vermont before joining the Army in 1942.  He served as a lieutenant and artillery forward observer in the 7th Armored Division at the Battle of the Bulge.
• John Schaffner was born in Baltimore, Md., and was drafted right after high school at the age of 18. He served in the 106th Infantry Division beginning in March 1943 until it was reorganized in March 1945. The 106th saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Battle of the Bulge, with two of its three regiments being overrun and surrounded during the first three days of fighting.

Living History: Battle of the Bulge was produced with the assistance of The Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, a membership organization dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the sacrifices involved during the Battle of the Bulge. To learn more about the Battle of the Bulge, its living Veterans and preserving the history and memory of the battle, visit the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge website.

Photos are by Robert Turtil, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Submitted by Megan Maloney