Ambassador of the USA for Luxembourg, Thomas Barrett joined Tom on the Breakfast Show to talk about the upcoming anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge and why it’s important to remember those that lost their lives in what was one of the bloodiest battles of the second world war.

Ambassador Barrett is approaching the end of his first year serving in his position here in Luxembourg. Before coming here he served as Mayor of Milwaukee in Wisconsin, a state which has longrunning ties to Luxembourg. Luxembourgish and Belgium settlers arrived and set up communities in Wisconsin in the mid 1800s and today there are towns called Belgium, and Luxemburg, Wisconsin.

In fact, Mr Barret’s personal connections to Luxembourg run even deeper than that. His mother’s first husband fought and died in the battle of the bulge. Upon arriving in Luxembourg one of the Ambassador’s first visits was to the grave, to pay tribute.

The Battle of the Bulge took place between the 16 of December 1944 and the 28 January 1945 and saw some 90,000 American soldiers lose their lives. The battle can be seen as a turning point in the war when the Allied forces overcame a surprise attack by Hitler’s army to spell out eventual defeat for the Axis powers.

The front line of the battle ran through the north of Luxembourg, with fighting happening in Clervaux, Wiltz and Echternach amongst other sites. Over the coming weeks there will be commemorative services in these locations.

You can find out more about the dates and locations of these services here: Battle of the Bulge Commemorations 2022 - U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg (usembassy.gov)