Company B, 312th Engr.© Bn, 87th Infantry Div
This was sent to me by none other than our pal James Hennessey of the 87th Inf Div. He forwarded this letter to me from a gentleman named, William (Bill) Jasper. Jim put me in touch with Bill today and he informed me:
Marion…Glad that you liked the story. We were in Company B, 312th Engr.© Bn, 87th Infantry Div.
It was a bit thoughtless of me to not mention that.
Please let me know if you receive this. I am having BIG computer trouble.
All the best to you and yours.
–Bill Jasper, known in these parts as Bill on the Hill
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John and Jim*… Below is a birthday greeting from Remagne, Belgium. In early January, 1945, we (my squad of combat engineers) were in the Village of Remagne. I asked an 18-year-old girl, in French, if she had room for 13 men. She lived with her aged father. She gave us a fairly large room with a pot belly stove.
We stayed there for about a week, working mostly at nite. Her cousin would reconnoiter for us during the day and provide some excellent information, e.g. where road blocks were constructed which, of course, we would destroy. A couple of them were booby trapped, using U.S. 105 artillery shells. After the War I sent the young lady, Raymonda Simon, and her father several “care packages.”
In 1963, on a trip around the world, I went back to the house and found that Raymonda got married and moved to another village. I went to see her and meet her husband (now deceased). Before leaving Remagne I found out that her brother and sister-in-law lived in the house next door. So I met them. Later those two moved to still another village, near Libramont. (Raymonda’s brother also is now deceased.) Both husbands had been prisoners of the Germans for five years.
I have been back several times to visit all of the family members, eventually three generations. I held Raymonda’s niece and nephew on my knees. Many years later I held their kids on my knees.
I happened to be there on my 70th birthday, and they had a nice party for me. All of us have a lot of photographic memories.
In December, 2004, I once again visited the family members. My son was with me, and he speaks fluent French. So we had an especially nice visit.
When I got home I received an e-mail message for Madam Marianne, a local school teacher in Remagne. The school adopted me, and we have had numerous communications during the last almost 2-1/2 years. At Christmas in 2005, they sent me large cardboard Christmas tree. It had a photo of the Madam and each of the children in the school. The tree hung from a series of six photos of scenes in Remagne. The photos on one side were in color, and on the other side of each photo was a black and white photo of the same scene, circa 1945. The school now has an American flag hanging in the classroom. For the record I will be 82 on June 3.
When my son and I were in Bastogne in December 2004, we met several new friends, and we continue to communicate with them via the Internet. I am sure that I will get at least three birthday cards this year from Remagne and other villages.
If you made it this far, I hope you got a kick out of this message.
One final comment. When I first met Raymonda’s sister-in-law I drew an acorn on a piece of paper. She went to a drawer and pulled out a golden acorn shoulder patch. She said, “Souvenir, souvenir.” She was nine years old in January, 1945.
You two have a good one. –Bill on the Hill
Be sure to look at the attachment. It is about the Sherman tank at McAuliffe Square. Hope it comes thru.
*It’s great to meet yet another engineer. Always DEE-lighted to hear their stories and comments. Enjoy the letter. Oh the other gentleman he refers to (John and Jim), is John McAuliffe, also of the 87th Inf Div. Hugs, M
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Subject: une pense pour vous
En lisant le journal, une pense pour vous.
Bien a vous et bon anniversaire avec quelques jours d’avance
madame Marianne a e’cole de remagne (belgique)
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An email sent to Bill:
Subject: Antwort: Time in Plauen
Dear Bill,
Thank you very much for your reply and the interesting details. By the way I found in a book a picture from a GI in Plauen who supplied water to a young girl in a DP camp, may be it was you? �
We just work to make the event of the 65th anniversary of the liberation as interesting as possible. That’s why we need to know as much as possible from you and your fellows who have been there at this time. We value very much your support about this!
I live in a small town besides Plauen the name is Pausa. As far as I know 312th Engineer Combat Battalion, was the unit which came first to our place. In the village before, “Thierbach” was also a small battle with some Germans which try to slow down your advancing. May be you remember some of these details?
A very important piece of history is the liberation of DPs which where mostly employed in arms production at the time, most of them under very bad conditions. The event next April will be a mix of real serious remembering as well also party for the local people. We will organize a convoy with some original Jeeps, Dodge and GMC Trucks and we will have a lot of friends who will wear authentic US Uniforms and equipment for this event.
I send you some picture from my Czech fellows from our last event this year in Pilsen. Believe me, you boys are not forgotten!
I would be happy to welcome and host you here in Germany. If you have the possibility and will, you are all welcome to us in April 2010 for the celebrations of the 65th anniversary !
The first Picture shows my Dodge Truck in front of the temporarily US headquarter for 75 days 1945 in Plauen!
kindest regards, Andreas
Andreas Br�uer, Kutschweg 27
07952 Pausa, Germany
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Marion’s note: sorry I do not have any photos to show. Just the email.
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Here is some correspondence from Bill on the Hill, to a buddy and then to me. His memories of Remagne:
Many thanx, John, for your recent message regarding Remagne and your upcoming visit to Luxembourg. I would really love to be in Remagne this coming weekend, but I think that I made the right decision not to go.
I just received an e-mail from my son with all of the back and forth messages between my son (Mark), Pascal and Madame Marianne, the Remagne school teacher. They have a really nice schedule for my son’s visit (my son, not my nephew).
Included in the program is a visit on Friday to the school in Remagne. Pascal, it appears, will be doing some chaufffering in Libramont and Remagne. There is a Saturday luncheon with M/M Robert & Yvette Willems. We all met in Dec. 2004 in Bastogne. Yvette was 9 or 10 years old when we were there back in 1994. Yvette and I communicate on a regular basis by Email. She also helped put some of this program together for Mark and his friends.
I may have told you my one and only Patton story, but I’ll repeat it for what it’s worth.
On 2 January, Patton came into our bivouac area as a passenger on the front seat of an open jeep…no windshield, just a wire cutter welded to the bumper. He did not get out of the jeep. He had his hands in the pockets of his tanker jacket. We could see the ivory handled pistol on his right side as we stood about 20 to 25 yards from him.
Someone got our CO up to see Patton. They talked for about 10 minutes, and that was it. I told my fox hole buddy, “I feel sorry for that old man.” He was 59 at the time.
When Patton wrote his memoirs he said, “On 2 January, I visited troops of the 87th Infantry Division. It was 6 degrees below zero, and I felt sorry for the troops.”
Y’all have a good one. Ole Bill on the Hill
Hi, Marion…I sent you a copy of a message that I sent to John McAuliffe. You may have wondered what that was all about. Here is the background:
My squad of combat engineers was in Remagne during the Bulge. Remagne is a small village about 8 km from Bastogne. When we got into Remagne I asked a young lady, in French, if she had room for 13 men, in a small house where she lived with her aged father. She gave us a small room that had a pot belly stove. We could hardly all get in there at the same time. We were there mostly in the day time since we spent most nites, or part thereof, out working (the usual engineer stuff, such as removing road blocks and a variety of other activities).
I’m not sure how long we “headquartered” at Remagne, but it was over a week.
After the War, I sent the young lady, Raymonda, and her father, several “Care Packages.”
In 1962, I went to visit Raymonda and, at that time, her husband (who had been a PW in Austria for five years). At that time I met her sister-in-law who was married to Raymonda’s brother (who also was a PW in Dortmund, Germany for five Years). I have visited Raymonda and her sister-in-law (Nicole) several times over the years, eventually getting to know three generations of the families. Nicole was 9 years old when we were in Remagne during the War. The two husbands are now deceased.
In December of 2004, they had a party for my son and myself in Libramont. Libramont is a city not far from Remagne. My son, who turned 60 a couple of weeks ago, speaks fluent French, and now lives in the Flemish part of Belgium (and is studying Dutch!).
The Village of Remagne is having its first celebration of the American participation in that Battle of the Bulge next week end. They have, to quote them, planned a “Big Celebration.” They invited me to be their guest of honor. Since (with my broken back and inabiliity to sleep in a bed) I decided not to make the trip, so they invited my son to represent me and the 87th Infantry Division. I guess that’s all the dirt that’s fit to squirt!
Although I haven’t heard anything, I expect that there will be some remembrance activities in Bastogne next week. John McAuliffe will not be going this time, but he plans to go to Luxembourg in June or July.
As a computer illiterate, I am hoping to learn something about Twitter and Facebook before too many moons pass. Wish me luck.
Here’s wishing you and yours all the best and continued good luck and success with your Internet program(s);
–Bill on the Hill
P.S. I have lost my Spell Check, and my proofreading leaves a lot to desired!
Marion’s note: Bill, my spell-check couldn’t find anything wrong – Go to the head of your class!!!
Hi again, Marion. I left out one item in my note about Remagne. After the 2004 activities in Bastogne, my son and I visited Remagne. But since it was on a Sunday, and some locals from other places in Belgium were our hosts, we didn’t get to meet anyone in Remagne, just went to the house where we stayed during the War. Raymonda, Nicole and their husbands had both long since moved away. And no one was a home in the house.
During our 10-day stay over there five years ago, a journalist and his photographer wife followed us around for four days and wrote two features for the French language newspaper in that part of Belgium. As a result, Madame Marianne and her young students at the local school “adopted” me. You can’t believe some of the nice things they have sent to me, including birthday and holiday greetings each year. About all that I have sent them is a few American flags (some of which will be used next weekend at the celebration). My son, Mark, will meet the teacher and students at the school next Friday in Remagne. At least he will be able to speak to them without a translator.
As an aside, each year on November 10, I speak to three sixth grade classes at the Tehachapi Middle School, giving them the history and meaning of Veterans Day. Tehachapi is roughly 15 miles from our log home out here in the boonies, at the end of everything!
–Bill Jasper
The next letter is from Bill’s son. Happy to be able share all this with my readers!!
Subject: 65th Remagne, Belgium
cc “Lance Jasper” , “Lee Anne Jasper”
Date: Sunday, December 13, 2009, 10:43 AM,Hi, Dad…
Just got back to Brugge. Great time over the weekend in Remagne and Libramont. I stayed with Robert and Yvette Williems, who organized a wonderful experience. Everyone was nice, and I am passing along greetings from all, including Marianne and her husband Pierre, and the Mayor of the greater commune. There were 2 dedications today in Remagne specifically for the 87th division. The mayor and I unveiled one on a communal building in town center with the “troops” there along with other dignitaries; afterward we followed the tanks and other Army vehicles to a large stone monument with another plaque. Fortunately we were in a large heated bus. The mayor again spoke and introduced me. Together we put flowers at the foot of the monument (to the 87th), which which included the text of the letter from General Patton, praising the Division. I was interviewed three times for TV and did it all in French. Indeed almost no one spoke English. There is much more to tell and many photos will be forwarded to us, but I am too tired to continue. Last point, I was affectionately know as “the son of Bill”. You and I were celebrated. I was introduced in the ceremonies as the representative for the American Army entirely, also! I was the only American present, although the day before at the reenactment of the battle in Remagne I met two veterans from the 101st, but did not see them again. I have their info, and others.
As I said to many people there, this was “an incredible experience.” Much like the one we had five years ago, except this time I was the celebrity; picture on the front page of the paper with Marianne’s school children from the day before, on Sat. Soon the dedication ceremonies from today will be on TV and accessible on the net, at www.tvlux.be
Off now to get a bite to eat. I will write more……
Later, Mark