metro >> on the cover Remembering Our Vets Southfield WWII veteran receives a French Legion of Honor after 65 years. Bill Carroll I Contributing Writer CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 left France in 1945, so I was really sur- prised when I got the letter, then the invi- tation to Chicago:' he explained. The invitation from the French consul general praised Kaye's "extraordinary bravery and courage in liberating France' As if those kudos weren't enough, Kaye received the U.S. Army's Bronze Star for his heroism. Like many WWII vets who are reluctant to talk about their exploits and downplay them when they do, Kaye isn't sure what the fuss was all about. "Oh, I guess I crawled forward under heavy fire, rescued a wounded soldier and pulled him back:' he said modestly. "It turns out he was a fellow Jew, from New York. I was involved in a lot of combat situations after that:' "Involved" is an understatement. Kaye landed with the Fourth Infantry on Utah Beach in Normandy, France, on June 7, 1944, the day after D-Day. "If I had landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, I probably wouldn't be here talking to you: he said. "Many Americans were wiped out that day. It was very sad. But the rest of us pressed onward through France and Belgium." Battle Of The Bulge Kaye's infantry group was instrumental in freeing the strategic French port of Cherbourg, then found itself in the middle of Germany's last-ditch offensive of the war — the famous Battle of the Bulge. After Hitler escaped an assassination attempt in July 1944, he called it a mes- sage from God that he was invincible and Germany would win the war. He ordered the amassing of thousands of troops, tanks and armored vehicles to the heavily forested Ardennes area of Belgium and France in the bitter winter of December '44. The plan was to rush through Allied lines — thus creating a bulge — to Antwerp near the sea, splitting and encir- cling Allied forces. The result, he falsely reasoned, would be badly beaten Allied armies who would beg for a truce and peace treaty, thus enabling the Germans to turn their attention to defeating Russia on the eastern front. The offensive in an unusually cold and foggy winter stunned the Allies at first, and many companies ran out of food, water, fuel and warm clothing in the con- tinuing battle. "Conditions were terrible Kaye recalled. 8 November 1©m 2011 The French Legion of Honor certificate Charlie Kaye with his many military medals from World War II "Like many others, I got 'trench feet' from frostbite. Various towns were encircled by the Germans, and many of our guys sur- rendered and were eventually forced to march back to prison camps in Germany. But when the weather improved, supplies arrived, and we fought back as our planes bombed the German lines." Patton To The Rescue At about the same time, Gen. George Patton's Third Army rushed in to help thwart the German offensive. It was regarded as the bloodiest European battle of the war, killing 19,000 Americans, including almost 100 in the notorious Malmedy Massacre in Belgium, when the Germans shot wounded prisoners in cold blood. Along the way, Kaye suffered shrapnel wounds from a mortar and ended up in a Belgian hospital, later receiving the Purple Heart. He then went on restricted duty, holding an administrative job in Czechoslovakia, until VE (Victory in Europe) Day in May. "I'm glad I enlisted so I could get Remembering on page 10 Long Overdue Jewish Chaplains Memorial erected at Arlington Cemetery. 0 n Oct. 24, the 14 Jewish chaplains who have died in service to the United States were honored on Chaplains Hill in Arlington National Cemetery with a dedication ceremony and unveiling of the Jewish Chaplains Memorial. Achieved through the strong persistence of the Jewish Federations of North America, as well as the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, the American Legion, the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance and the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A., the memorial's installation aligns with the 150th anniversary of service by rabbis in the armed forces. Veterans, chaplains, families of the fallen Jewish chap- lains and members of the Jewish community from across the nation attended the landmark ceremony that corrected an omission on the sacred hill at Arlington. "It is fitting and appropriate that we now have a memo- rial in our national cemetery to properly pay tribute to these 14 Jewish chaplains," said Kathy Manning, board - TV The new Jewish Chaplains Memorial, right, joins those of other faiths in Arlington National Cemetery. chair of the Jewish Federations of North America. "Today's dedication ceremony is a reminder for the Jewish com- munity to come together and reflect on all those who have bravely served in the armed forces." When the USAT Dorchester was sunk by German tor- pedoes off the coast of Greenland on Feb. 3,1943, four chaplains – two Protestants, one Catholic and one Jewish (Rabbi Alexander Goode) – all died together after giving their lifejackets to save others on board. Monuments were erected for the fallen chaplains of the Catholic and Protestant faiths and are finally joined today by the Jewish Chaplains memorial.