WWII veteran honors Gen. Patton’s legacy with touching gravesite tribute alongside renowned general’s granddaughter

Dennis Boldt was a 19-year-old private in the Army when he landed on the shores of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

On the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024, the San Antonio-based organization Walk Among Heroes arranged for Boldt and several fellow World War II veterans to return to the battlefields where they had served with valor decades earlier.

‘You are carrying the torch of the fallen.’

“Dennis met the president [or] leader of nearly every democratic nation, and he met Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and many other celebrities,” Walk Among Heroes president and founder Jeff Wells told Blaze News. “What continuously took me by surprise was the humbleness and gratefulness Dennis expressed to everyone he met. Dennis 100% could not understand why he was being treated like ‘royalty,’ in his words. They call his generation the ‘Greatest Generation’ for a reason. They are humble and truly believe they were just ‘doing their job.’”

During last year’s trip, Boldt had the opportunity to visit the grave of General George S. Patton Jr. in Luxembourg American Cemetery for the first time. Boldt, who served in the Third Army under Patton, was accompanied by the late general’s granddaughter Helen Patton.

“This is something I had never expected in my life,” Boldt said as he rested his hand on Patton’s gravestone, which was surrounded by flowers and American and French flags.

“I knew that I had served under him, but to be at his gravesite, with … his granddaughter, how is this possible for me?” he stated.

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Boldt expressed his deep appreciation for Patton’s leadership.

“Greatest honor that ever could have been presented to me and all my other comrades — that we … served under General Patton,” Boldt stated. “He was our leader. If it had not been for his thrust with the saber forward, we could not have made it.”

“It was our leader that led us to victory,” Boldt added.

Boldt also visited the Normandy American Cemetery for the first time, where he met with a young active-duty soldier and shared a powerful message with him.

“I thank you,” Boldt told him. “You are carrying the torch of the fallen.”

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At the conclusion of his trip, he shared some warm words with Walk Among Heroes.

“I’d like to say this: I feel like an old prospector that’s out in the field looking for a fortune. And I have found it,” he said as he pointed to those around him. “You people are my second family. I want you to know that. I think of you as my brothers and sisters. What you have all done for me here has made my time here valuable beyond all words.”

Boldt celebrated his 101st birthday in December.

When asked what fuels Walk Among Heroes, Wells shared that it is “our debt of gratitude for these heroes who paved the way for all us.”

“Their service and sacrifices allow us to enjoy the greatest privilege in the world — freedom. We must take advantage of every opportunity to honor them and thank them,” Wells added.

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