Sunday, May 5, 2024
Triumph of Courage Marker - A Battle of the Bulge Memorial that was placed in Arlington National Cemetery in 2006 honoring all of the American soldiers that were lost in the battle.
Ralph Baker, who was killed at the Battle of the Bulge, is remembered on the war memorial located on the lawn of the Coryell County Courthouse.
U.S. Army engineers emerge from the woods and move out of defensive positions after fighting in the vicinity of Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge. Photo courtesy of the Army Center of Military History
With Veteran’s Day upon us, local veterans, both living and departed, are remembered and given thanks for their service to their country. One fallen soldier from Coryell County is being honored not only in his home county, but also across the ocean in Holland.
The story begins with Antoine Nouens who lives near Belgium Ardennes where Gatesville native, Private First-Class Ralph Baker, was killed during the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium in 1945. Nouens recently sent an email to the Coryell Museum and Historical Center in hopes of finding a photograph of Baker. His email was passed on to Coryell Museum board member Rhonda Mohler. The two began corresponding back and forth by email.
His email to Mohler began, “Greetings from Holland.” Nouens conveyed to Mohler that he had an interest in United States soldiers who “fought for our freedom in World War II.” His chief objective in contacting the museum was to locate a photograph of Ralph Baker.
After diligent research, Mohler responded, “I haven’t been able to find anything.” Mohler passed this information on to The Gatesville Messenger. The newspaper reached out to Nouens, who offered an explanation for his search for American servicemen: “My research is not for a book nor a memorial. I am interested in the U.S. soldiers who fought for our freedom during World War II.” He continued, “Since I was a little boy, I have been interested in World War II history. My parents and grandparents were liberated by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division in 1944. My grandfather talked a lot about the war and showed me the places of interest.”
The Battle of the Bulge, described by Winston Churchill as "undoubtedly the greatest American battle" of World War II, took place in the Ardennes Forest region of Belgium and Luxembourg from December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945. The last major German counteroffensive on the Western Front, it ended in victory for Allied forces under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower — but at great cost. Soldiers fought in brutal winter conditions, and the U.S. Army lost approximately 19,000 men (and suffered some 75,000 total casualties) in what became the United States' deadliest single World War II battle.
Over the years, Nouens said that he had met a great number of WWII veterans in Holland and Belgium and corresponded for a long time with them. “In those years, I got more and more interested in the personal stories from and about the American soldiers, especially about Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, and I constantly try to find pictures of the soldiers that were killed,” one of which being Ralph Baker.
Ralph Quincy Baker, born in Coryell County on Feb. 21, 1919, was the son of farmer Ralph Elias Baker and his wife, Rosa Tipton Baker. His enlistment papers in 1941 recorded him as living in the Tamer Star Route of Coryell County. The year prior, during the 1940 Census, Baker stated that he was a farm laborer who was 21 years of age, and his education had ended in the seventh grade.
Just prior to being called to arms, Baker married Edrith Keener in Coryell County in 1942. Their marriage was to be short-lived.
Nouens stated that he now lives in Holland near the Belgium Ardennes, where Baker was killed in action on January 7, 1945, at the age of 25. Nouens shared a detailed account of the nearby battles in a website called “The Battle of Grandmenil.” That information mentions many young men who were serving with Baker who were reported missing, wounded, or killed in action in which Ralph Baker’s name also appeared.
Noeuns also mentioned that he has been in contact with veteran Bob Konings who lives in Grandmenil, which is not far away from where Ralph Baker and his comrades were killed.
It was reported that, following Baker’s death, his body was returned to Gatesville where it was buried at Restland Cemetery alongside family members.
Noeums remains hopeful that someone in the Gatesville community might be able to locate a photograph of Baker to add to his collection of fallen American soldiers who participated in the battle.
In 2002, Congress authorized the placement in Arlington National Cemetery of a memorial honoring World War II veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. The memorial was dedicated on May 8, 2006 in a ceremony attended by 300 veterans and family members. Its main inscription reads, “To World War II American soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Bulge — the greatest land battle in the history of the United States Army." Text on the base of the memorial reads, "Triumph of courage" and "From the grateful people of the Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg."
“I believe those soldiers deserve to be honored and remembered. A picture of Ralph would be a great start. A physical memorial would be great as well. Who knows…” Noeums said.
