Ambassador J. Randolph Evans visited Clervaux on Sunday to commemorate the Battle of the Bulge and announce a U. S. Embassy grant to the Cercle D’Etudes Sur La Bataille Des Ardennes (CEBA).
Because of Covid-19 restrictions, Clervaux was unable to host its annual public WWII commemoration, but CEBA arranged a small, private wreath-laying ceremony at Clervaux’s GI Memorial. Ambassador Evans, Mayor Emile Eicher, CEBA President Erny Kohn and a small group of aldermen and CEBA members attended.
Ambassador Evans thanked CEBA for organizing the small ceremony and spoke about the courage of those who fought in the war. “Standing here in front of this monument to all the American GIs who fought for the liberation of Luxembourg and beyond,” he said, “it’s impossible not to stop and reflect on the experiences of WWII, of Luxembourg’s suffering and resilience, of America’s resolve and sacrifice.”
At the ceremony, the Ambassador also announced the U.S. Embassy was giving CEBA a $5,000 grant to restore its Sherman M4A3 tank.
CEBA’s tank, currently on display in Petange, is one of just two WWII Sherman tanks in Luxembourg, and it was used by U.S. soldiers to defend Clervaux Castle from the Nazis in the Battle of the Bulge.
Mayor Eicher and CEBA presented Ambassador Evans with gifts thanking him for his work with the municipality of Clervaux and strong support of historical remembrance societies in Luxembourg.
Please see more pictures in our Flickr album here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassyluxembourg/albums/72157717444483232