Local vet served as medic at Battle of the Bulge
photo by Allison Brophy Champion
World War II veteran John Eden of Culpeper holds up his dogtags, to which he attached a German bullet—“the one that was supposed to get me,“ but didn’t.
Today marks the 65th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest battle waged by the American Army in World War II.
The Star-Exponent recently interviewed World War II veteran John Eden, 88, of Culpeper, who served as a medic during the battle, dodging Germans, friendly fire and the frigid snow and cold to stay alive while transporting wounded and dying from the battlefield in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Around Christmas, read more about Eden’s harrowing 17-hour journey in an ambulance through the thick of the battle as he transported a surgical team to a wiped-out field hospital in Bastogne and find out what he rubbed in his eyes to stay awake.
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Reader Reactions
WOW! Thank you sir for your service!
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