In the annals of American military history, there are countless examples of leaders who, under extreme duress, were able to counter their fears in battle and somehow motivate their troops to continue to fight on for America’s liberty. In doing so, they often left behind quotes that have become part of the fabric of America’s military past. For example, during the Revolutionary War, Naval commander John Paul Jones ship was floundering off the coast of England after being severely damaged by cannon fire from a British warship. When asked by the British captain to surrender, Jones replied, “I have yet to begin to fight.” During the Indian wars, top American Indian fighter General George Armstrong Custer found himself completely surrounded and outnumbered by the Lakota Sioux at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. In an effort to rally the troops, Custer’s last words to his men were, “Come on boys, we have them on the run.” In the initial stages of World War II in the Pacific, Japanese forces overwhelmed the American garrison at Corregidor in the Philippine Islands, forcing Commander General Douglas MacArthur to evacuate to Australia. In an effort to bolster the morale of those American and Filipino soldiers left behind, MacArthur beamed his famous, “I shall return” message.”

There is another particular example, which may not be as well known as others, but nonetheless had impact at the time. The individual involved was a World War II senior United States Army officer, Anthony Clement McAuliffe, who had graduated from the Military Academy at West Point in 1917. Small in stature at 5’5″ and 135 pounds, McAuliffe had advanced through the ranks and, at the outset of World War II was a Lt. Colonel in command of the famed 101st Airborne Division. McAuliffe had been battle-hardened by parachuting into Normandy on D-Day, fighting across France, surviving a glider crash landing in Holland and entering Belgium in the back seat of an Army jeep.

December 1944 found Nazi Germany reeling from Allied advances, forcing Hitler to engage in Germany’s last major offensive in World War II against the Western Front, The Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. One of the key German objectives was to take control of the small Belgium town of Bastogne, which General McAuliffe 101st Division was defending. For seven consecutive days McAuliffe’s forces were completely surrounded and besieged by overwhelming German troops. Short of food, water, ammunition and medical supplies, the 101st endured relentless enemy bombing, artillery and infantry attacks. McAuliffe was in constant action, encouraging and supporting his men. When his staff suggested he was exposing himself to danger by spending so much time at the front, he replied, “The men need me at the front, not the rear.” He remarked to one of his staff officers, “Being totally surrounded by the enemy has its benefits; we can attack in any direction.”

It was under such circumstances that, in the early hours of Dec. 22, 1944, a contingent of four German soldiers, two officers and two enlisted men, waving two white flags, approached the outer lines of the Bastogne perimeter and told the sentry they had an ultimatum from the German commander for immediate surrender of the Bastogne garrison to German forces, or face total annihilation from a massive German attack within 24 hours, which will leave the snow-covered ground red with American blood. Communications Officer Major Alvin Jones immediately took the message and awakened General McAuliffe, who was asleep after spending the night planning for an expected enemy attack. In a half-sleep state, McAuliffe said, “They want to surrender?”, but Jones replied, “No General, they want you to surrender.” Now fully awake, McAuliffe ripped up the surrender ultimatum and said to Jones, “Nuts.” McAuliffe’s staff agreed with the Nuts reply and the following memo was typed and delivered to the German delegation by Major Jones. TO THE GERMAN COMMANDER. NUTS! FROM THE AMERICAN COMMANDER. When the German officer read the reply he appeared baffled and confused, asking Jones, “What does NUTS mean, Yes or No?” Jones replied, “In plain English, It means go to Hell!” That the German understood, saluted and marched off.

Over the next few days, the German launched repeated assaults against the Bastogne perimeter, the 101st courageously fended off numerous assaults on the garrison. Finally, on Dec. 26, rescue and relief came to besieged Bastogne in the form of General Patton’s Third Army. After Bastogne, McAuliffe was promoted to Major General and continued into the heart of Germany, leading efforts to liberate inmates of the dreaded Nazi concentration camps along the way.

For his actions at Bastogne, General McAuliffe was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which read in part, “In the courageous stand at Bastogne, Brigadier General McAuliffe’s inspiring and gallant leadership never wavered in the face of overwhelming enemy attack. His utterly fearless determination and concern for the men of the 101st Airborne Division reflect great credit upon himself, the United States Army and the United States of America.”

After the war concluded, he was promoted to a Four-Star Army General, retiring from active service in 1956. Today, General McAuliffe rests peacefully at Arlington National Cemetery. It is people such as him, and thousands and thousands of other American men and women that we honor and remember this Memorial Day 2024.

Mike Rendos is a retired public school educator, sports enthusiast and historian whose columns appear in The Express.