JULY 1945 — This photo of Cleo Reeves (third from right, back row) and some of his fellow servicemen was taken in Paris on July 24, 1945. Standing to Reeves left is his close friend Bill Mayberry, while Sgt. Adkins stands to his right. A frenchman on a bicycle (fourth from left in the front row) asked the group to pause with him for the photo. Reeves, who was honorably discharged from the service in September 1945, couldn’t recall the names of all the men in the unit. In the photo at lower left is Reeves now.

Reeves recalls service in Battle of the Bulge

On Dec. 16, 1944 a heretofore retreating German army regrouped for a massive attack that was intended to turn the tide of the war.

Instead, the pitched battle that at first looked like it might be successful ended up being one of the last nails in the coffin for the German army.

The battle began near the intersection of Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany with an offensive in the Ardennes forest involving three German armies totaling some 200,000 men going against about 83,000 unsuspecting Americans in six divisions. Four of those divisions were either depleted or untested in battle.

One local man was in the theater when the battle began and took part in the latter part of the battle, which finally ended when U.S. troops pushed the Germans back to their original positions some 60 years ago on Jan. 28, 1945.

Sparta resident Cleo Reeves went to a recent reunion and noted that there were “20 GIs there I was the only one who could wear my uniform.” Reeves was drafted into the service in September 1942 at 21 years old. Reeves said the draft notice wasn’t much of a surprise. “It came to our rural mailbox. I can remember who picked up the mail that day. I’d been expecting it.” He said the draft was understood and accepted due to the nature of the war.

“We became immune to things like that,” he said.

Reeves and his three younger brothers all served in the war. They grew up in Twin Oaks community, just past the golf course.

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