WWII Battle of the Bulge Veterans, Alabama Chapter

12/01/2025

12/13/2019

06/24/2019

The bomb went off in the early hours of Sunday, startling nearby residents.

12/16/2018

Remember the Battle of the Bulge 74 years ago today. Fought through Christmas into 1945 it was the last great battle of WWII, and Hitler's final, desperate attempt at victory. It failed. These men were, in part, the reason why.

11/19/2018

Vern Miller, 8th Armored Division veteran, shows us photos he took of his unit crossing the Rhine River.

04/24/2018

Sad news coming out of Lupton Arizona on the passing of Navajo Code Talker, Roy Hawthorne. Our hearts are with Mr. Hawthornes family tonight and the community of Lupton. Thank you for your service Code Talker Hawthorne, you were a honored revered legend here in South Eastern Diné Bikeyah, you will be missed dearly, Rest easy. A'yehée!

12/16/2017

Remember the Battle of the Bulge 73 years ago today. Fought through Christmas into 1945 it was the last great battle of WWII, and Hitler's final, desperate attempt at victory. It failed. These men were, in part, the reason why.

11/13/2017

10/27/2017

"The famous attack on the German Artillery Guns at the Brécourt Manor by Easy Company was immortalized in the series Band of Brothers. Now, see the whole location from the air."

The famous attack on the German Artillery Guns at the Brécourt Manor by Easy Company was immortalized in the series Band of Brothers. Now, see the whole lo

02/21/2017

Today in the Birmingham office of US Representative Gary Palmer, the long awaited posthumous award presentation of the Distinguished Service Cross to members of Lt. Melvin M Spruiell family was made.

Lt. Spruiell was a member of the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, part of the 101st Airborne Division. He was killed near Carentan, Normandy, France on 11 June 1944, as he attempted to take out an enemy machine gun. Earlier he had, in an exposed position, acted as a forward artillery observer until his radio battery died, then took part in an infantry bayonet assault across open fields under intense enemy fire to capture a farmhouse which was being used as a German command post. This assault was successful and eventually resulted in enabling the US Forces to unify the two invasion beaches Omaha and Utah.

Many medals (one Medal of Honor, and at least two Distiguished Service Crosses) were awarded to the individuals who were involved in the assault,, But in the case of Lt. Spruiell the paperwork for his commendation was misplaced. Not until the early 1990s did the paperwok surface, when Mark Bando, a noted authority on the 101st Division, found the original recommendation and sent it to the Spruiell Family in Alabama.

That began the process of working with the Alabama Representative Spencer Bachus who served on the House Armed Services Committee. His work and that of the committee finally culminated in the ceremony performed today.

Lt. Spruiell is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery, Plot E, Row 22, Grave 38.

01/30/2017

Max Herrington, Combat Infantryman with Fifth Infantry Division and POW, passed away last Friday. His funeral service will be tomorrow (Tuesday the 31st) at 1 pm) McElwain Baptist Church, 4445 Montevallo Road, Birmingham. Max was our Sergeant at Arms who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance at our monthly meetings of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, including our last meeting January 16. We will miss him. --Vern Miller

01/09/2017

This is your reminder that we'll be having our monthly meeting next Monday, January 16th, 2017 at the Golden Corral on Centerpoint Parkway. The formal program begins at 12:00pm, but folks begin showing up between 11:00-12:00 to get their lunch, chat, and share stories.

The speaker this month is Sgt Ben Kayatta, a Marine who served with HMH-466 as a door gunner and mechanic on a CH-53 Super Stallion. Sgt Kayatta will be talking about life in a Marine air wing, as well as his experiences in combat. We're also excited that he'll be sharing videos of his deployments. Come out and meet Sgt Kayatta and our own Battle of the Bulge veterans.

Remember, everyone is welcome, so don't hesitate to bring guests!