Valley veteran escaped during Battle of the Bulge

Roy Rogel (left) and Adolph Martinez served in the 17th Airborne during World War II. Martinez, now 96, is a Quartz Hill resident who participated in the Battle of the Bulge. The two were taken as prisoners of war. Rogel escaped twice but was recaptured, finally succeeding on his third try, accompanied by Martinez.

Courtesy photo

For the fortunate, as we prepare for the holidays, we can be grateful for warmth, for shelter and for blessings of family. If we are doing well enough, we can share something with those who lack all that. If we can, we should.

In Belgium this week the locals are celebrating the 75th anniversary of their liberation from Nazi occupation. The biggest battle that happened in Western Europe near the end of World War II was the Battle of the Bulge. The battle happened through the week leading into Christmas, and this was the Christmas that tens of thousands of American soldiers were fighting for their lives in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium, where Hitler’s legion’s made a last, gasp thrust to try and throw the Allies into the sea, creating a “bulge” into American lines.