Old Bethpage museum tribute to battle that sealed Nazi Germany's fate

Dominick Russo was a 26-year-old Army private when he died in December 1944, just days into a brutal World War II battle where Adolf Hitler waged a last-ditch strike to turn the tide of the war.

In dense woods and amid thick snow, and after a bloody six-week fight, the Allies eventually prevailed.

Sunday in Old Bethpage, the nephew Russo never met paid tribute to his uncle and the thousands of other American service members lost in what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge.

“This is just one soldier out of a lot … that have died for our country,” said Mike Keane, a Nassau County resident, of his uncle. “I want to keep their history alive. Without them, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Keane joined a dozen other members of the Long Island Living History Association on Sunday at the Museum of American Armor in Old Bethpage for a commemoration of the battle, which began on Dec. 16, 1944, and ended Jan. 25, 1945.

They wore World War II-era Army uniforms similar to those  U.S. soldiers wore at the time, and showed visitors tanks and other military equipment similar to what was used in the war.

The toll for victory was steep nearly 80 years ago. More than 19,000 U.S. troops were killed, and 23,000 more taken prisoner. The total casualties were estimated to be around 75,000, according to the National Archives. The battle came after Nazi Germany launched a massive attack on Allied forces, primarily American troops, in Belgium and Luxembourg, according to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and the U.S. Army.

It was Nazi Germany’s last major offensive campaign on the war's Western Front.

The Allied lines, which “bulged” as Germans drove into the densely wooded Ardennes Forest, did not break, denying Hitler’s last gamble in the war.

Kevin Carroll, community affairs director of the museum that hosted the annual event, reminded the two dozen visitors who gathered Sunday to never forget the battle.

“I'm thankful for the peace we have today,” Carroll said in an interview after the ceremony. “I think that's directly attributable to the bravery of our soldiers back then. And even to this day, we're in a time of peace because of the sacrifices they've made.”

Scott Oggeri, a Marine veteran from Smithtown and a member of the Long Island Living History Association, dressed in military gear, said he wished more people would study their history.

“I feel that there’s not enough, in today's society, of people understanding the history of what made this country,” Oggeri said. “We have a lot of problems we’ve got to fix. But we've also done a lot of good in the world, too.”

By Dandan Zou

dandan.zou@newsday.com@DandanZou

Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.