Oct 22

Written by: ngreditor
10/22/2008 8:47 AM 

A trip of history and memory

Kenneth Purscell

Dorothy and Burt Belgum stand proud outside their home in Newman Grove, NE.

By the time you read these words, Burdette (“Burt”) Belgum of Newman Grove will be making a pilgrimage on behalf of a quickly diminishing number of World War II veterans.

He will be traveling to Washington D.C. for a day to see quickly the sights of the nation’s capital, but especially to visit the WWII Monument in the company of other veterans of that war. One hundred veterans altogether will be making the trip, supported by the national VFW as a way of offering appreciation for the service of all veterans.

“I was in Africa, Italy, France, and Germany,” he says. He arrived in Africa in 1942, early in America’s involvement in the war. “It took twelve days to go over by boat. It was the biggest convoy to go over at that time. Submarines were a danger.” Altogether, he served 31 months overseas.

“He never got a furlough in all that time,” says his wife Dorothy. “He was in the army seven months before shipping out, and he didn’t even get a furlough before going overseas.”

Burt served in a quartermaster corps attached to the Fifth and Seventh Armies, getting supplies to troops in the thick of the battle. His brother Gordon, though, was with the 101st Airborne and saw hard action in both D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.

“I did find out that my brother was in France. So I begged for permission to take a little bit of time, and I hitched rides across France to find him.” He did find his brother, but the visit was brief. “I only got to stay one night with him,” he says. “I never thought I’d see him again.”

Burt returned to Nebraska and married Dorothy in 1948. They had gone to country school together. “But I’m afraid I don’t remember him from school!” laughs Dorothy.

They farmed and raised their family near the Salem area for many years before moving to town about eight years ago.

It was a daughter living in Oregon who found out about the sponsored trip to Washington, D.C., and who entered Burt’s name as a surprise gift. “We’d wanted to make the trip to the memorial together, but things didn’t work out,” says Dorothy. “But this way will be better.” Others are going from St. Edward and Albion.

At first, Burt was on the waiting list, but that changed recently. “We just found out two weeks ago that I was going to go,” he says.

Time, in some ways, is of the essence. The memory of those days is fading fast as we lose more veterans every day. “Most people who were there are now deceased,” Burt reminds us, “and I’m 87 years old.”

He will be in Washington on Wednesday, October 22, and returning the next day. By the time you read these words, a little bit of our country’s history will be remembered and honored by one of the few remaining who were there when that history was made.