Bernard Alexander, 99th Recon years ago
Letter sparks request for information
My letter to the editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune generated several phone calls, a letter, and several e-mails. I would like to share the following:
Larry Alexander was just a little boy when his father, Bernard G. Alexander, 99th Recon, was killed on Dec. 22, 1944. Larry did not know his dad, but he did get his medals and some information about his time in the Army.
Bernard was from Iowa, and was in the 99th Recon. If anyone who knew Bernard and would like to pass on any information, contact Larry Alexander, 450 Filbert St., El Cajon CA 92090, 619-444-4461.
Dick Tommey G/394
Reprinted from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Remember him - and the others
Today is the 55th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler's desperate assault through the Ardennes. Most people remember the battle only because of the immortal response by Gen. Anthony McAuliffe of the 101st Airborne Division, surrounded in Bastogne, to a German surrender demand: "Nuts!"
My memory is different. I remember Edwin London, a 19-year-old member of the 99th Infantry Division. His body rests, along with 7,988 others from many units, in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium. They are a small portion of those who died during the nearly three-week battle.
Edwin London was from Kentucky. He was the ammunition carrier for my Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). I visited his grave in 1995, but I have been unable to locate his relatives.
Please remember him and all the others who died in that battle 55 years ago.
Richard J. Tommey
