Re: Dick Winters
In the middle of the little town of Longchamps, Belgium, there is a monument to an American Army Airborne Unit.
According to Lynchburg resident John Peniche, it’s known colloquially as “the Peniche monument,” after his father.
Not that Eduardo Peniche, who fought for America during World War II as a Mexican citizen, was the only hero of that battle, or the highest-ranking member of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment.
“I think it was because he, more than anyone else, kept coming back,” John Peniche said. “He made several visits there.”
If you knew Ed Peniche, a longtime Spanish teacher at Central Virginia Community College, you know that he left an impression. A tiny man barely 5 feet tall, he had a big personality. And early in December, in a sense, he visited Longchamps again.
John Peniche, his brother Carlos, their two sons and Ed’s widow, Deane, made a pilgrimage to Longchamps and nearby Bastogne as part of the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, a pivotal engagement fought in weather so cold that the oldest residents of the area still talk about it.
“It was cold last week, too,” Peniche said earlier this week, “and I liked that, because it made it seem more real.”
So was the physical setting. The barn in which Ed Peniche took refuge after being wounded is still there, as is the road his unit was assigned to guard. Moreover, the 2009 Peniche delegation was greeted by Christiane Luc-Feller, who had fled the house next to the barn at the age of 3, shortly before the American troops arrived.
“She lives in that house now,” John Peniche said, “and she and her family gave us a very warm reception.”
The Peniches even got to watch a re-enactment of the Battle of Bastogne, with the Americans portrayed by local Belgians.
Back in December of 1944, the 101st Airborne was surrounded for several weeks by German forces. Peniche’s unit was among those sent to Bastogne to break the stalemate, and Ed arrived as a passenger in a glider.
“He dug a foxhole along a tree line that’s still there,” John Peniche said, “and he had an anti-tank weapon to use against any tanks that came down the road.”
Thus ensued a battle within the larger Battle of the Bulge, credited by many historians as finally breaking the back of the German resistance.
“My father was also involved in an Allied campaign in Holland,” John Peniche said. “They made a movie about it, ‘A Bridge Too Far.’ So we went there before we traveled to Bastogne.”
John Peniche already had a curious connection to Europe, having worked in public relations at both General Electric and Babcock & Wilcox right before they were bought by European companies.
“Hire me, and your company gets taken over by somebody in Sweden or France,” he said with a laugh.
On the Peniches’ last night in Belgium, they gathered with Christiane Luc-Fellers and her family, along with the mayor of Longchamps and some other town officials, at the approximate site of Ed Peniche’s 1944 foxhole. It was already dark, and a chill was setting in as the last of the ashes of the diminutive Airborne warrior were scattered on the cold ground. Several of the Belgians cried, because this was someone they had known personally.
“We formed a circle and held hands,” John Peniche said. “It was very emotional.”
Heres another one, Ed Peniche. He taught me spanish at this community college in Virginia. To my knowledge, still alive and fiesty at ove 90 years, and living in Houston. Note that he was still a MEXICAN CITIZEN whhen he fought for the US. I took him and his wife Deena to supper last time i was through town. A fine man, and a personal friend. Not a lot of these guys left.