Phila. veterans seek Battle of the Bulge memorial

A dwindling group of elderly Philadelphia veterans wants to build a Battle of the Bulge memorial in Washington Square, a site within the city's Historic Mile they believe is a fitting place to remember the key World War II confrontation.

In the process, they are fighting a new battle - against bureaucracy and time. They need money, political will, and permission from local and federal government agencies.

"We're the only major city in the country that doesn't have a monument to the Battle of the Bulge," said Norbert McGettigan, 89, who grew up in Overbrook and lives in Woodside Park. He was wounded three times during World War II.

The Battle of the Bulge, waged from Dec. 16, 1944, until Jan. 25, 1945, was a major turning point of the war in Europe. It gained fame for later generations via the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers.

Philadelphia was home to thousands of veterans of the Bulge, including Stanley Wojtusik, a native of South Philadelphia who now lives in Torresdale. He graduated from John Bartram High School in 1943 and immediately joined the Army. He was wounded and taken prisoner by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.

Wojtusik founded a local Bulge veterans chapter in 1989. Today, there are fewer than 200 members.

"We were all 17, 18, 19 years old when it happened," said McGettigan. "And Philadelphia had one of the largest contingents of Battle of the Bulge vets living here."

"As in Vietnam," he added, "there were a lot of African American veterans in the battle from here in Philadelphia."

The battle marked the first time the Army desegregated during World War II, when, in an effort to repel attacking German forces, the Allies turned to thousands of African American GIs. (Officially, the U.S. military didn't desegregate until 1948.)

To gain their proposed monument a Washington Square location, Wojtusik and McGettigan approached U.S. Rep. Robert Brady, the influential chairman of Philadelphia's Democratic Party, and City Councilman David Oh. The veterans also need permits from the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior, as well as funds.

So far, "no one has actually stepped up to help," said Doreen McGettigan, Norbert's wife.

Preliminary designs call for an 8-by-8-foot stone monument. Washington Square is already home to the Revolutionary War memorial.

For the vets, aging is the enemy today, Norbert McGettigan said: "We survived the war. Now we need to survive long enough to build this."

The worst part "was the living conditions," he recalled. "We didn't shower or change clothes for four months. I went from 160 to 125 pounds."

Much of his division, the 106th, was captured or killed in the fighting. He was reassigned to the 69th Infantry, which went on to liberate prisoners at a Nazi concentration camp.

Wojtusik, 89, also served with the 106th Infantry and was captured.

Using a walker, Wojtusik last week addressed American Legion Post 405 at the Union League. "We really need foot traffic, we need young people to walk by this and see this," he said.

The battle took place during an exceptionally cold winter, as German forces attacked American soldiers defending an 80-mile front in the Ardennes forest of Luxembourg and Belgium.

German troops "bulged" through the line, although 610,000 U.S. troops ultimately repelled the threat. It was the Army's largest World War II land battle, with 89,000 casualties, 19,000 of them deaths.

Thus far, the veterans group has raised only a few thousand dollars for the monument, which members estimate will cost $120,000 to $140,000.

Andre McCoy, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and Post 405 member, leads the monument committee. "It's long overdue to acknowledge the battle. It could have changed the course of the war," he said.

Donations can be sent to Philadelphia chapter treasurer Gary Lambert, 123 Garfield Ave., Collingswood, N.J., 08108. Visit battleofthebulge.org for more information.

Meetings of the local chapter of Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge are at 12:30 p.m. the last Wednesday of every month at the Coast Guard Station, Columbus Boulevard and Washington Avenue.

215-854-2808

@erinarvedlund