William M. Bruce of Washington D.C. was a law student at George Washington University when he joined the U.S. Army in the summer of 1943. After combat engineer training in Texas, he served in Belgium where he was killed in action on the last day of 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge.
I can't help but remember some lines from an anti-war song by The Band:
Back with my wife in Tennessee When one day she called to me "Virgil, quick, come see, There goes Robert E. Lee!"
Now, I don't mind. I'm chopping wood And I don't care if the money's no good Take what you need, and leave the rest, But they should never have taken the very best.
Thank you for this beautiful Memorial Day tribute. I am moved by the hospitality shown to theses men by your community. Vik
ReplyDeleteStories like this need to be told, and I was glad to do it.
DeleteWe lost so many fine young men in that war. Thank you for honoring them with this moving tribute.
ReplyDeleteThey need to be remembered, and I just did a very small thing compared to them.
DeleteSo kind of you to honor the efforts these men made for all of us. They were so remarkably heroic and willing to go to any length for the preservation of their nation and their families.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are all heroes in my world. Thank you for a lovely comment.
DeleteLike many Americans, my family on both sides bought as many war bonds as they could afford so as to bring the boys back home ASAP. In Newark NJ and San Francisco CA the gold stars displayed in some neighbors windows brought home that urgency :( During Ww2 my dad was just a lad in San Francisco who use to go to his neighborhood theater, the Castro. The Nasser family who owned the movie house would have soldiers and sailors stand at the front of the screen to acknowledge the admiration and applause of the audience. Aside from the movies and concession stand, that is my dad’s fondest memory of the Castro.
ReplyDeleteAnother fine memory of his was a war bond rally at the palatial Fox Palace movie theater, more stars than the heavens were there. My dad and I enjoy these memories only made possible by these fine men and their great and sacred sacrifice.
May everyone have a great Memorial Day and take a moment or two to remember our fine men and women veterans…:)
Thank you for sharing you family's story and for reminding everyone to take that moment to reflect.
DeleteYou come from a a great family. Our country was unified during those times and those of us at home willingly made sacrifices too; food items such as butter and sugar, restrictions on purchasing tires etc. I can't recall hearing any complaints.
DeleteVintage Viking thank you for the kind words. :)
DeleteVMM thank you for this wonderful blog….:)
On this Memorial Day, all that we enjoy today, proves that the sacrifices made then were not in vain, it is our duty to see that it stays that way.
Yes, we have a duty to remain vigilant. Our freedoms are not guaranteed. It's days like today that remind me that this blog can do some good.
DeleteA humbling and moving tribute. These brave men and boys have passed on the torch to us, so that the memory of their sacrifices will continue, and the values they fought for will live on in all of us. Lest we forget. Thank you Jerry.
ReplyDeleteYes, lest we forget. You're welcome, Pat!
DeleteJerry, thank you for this beautiful tribute. You never fail to impress me as having the classiest gay-interest blog on the net.
ReplyDeleteYou are quite welcome, 2W. I appreciate your kind words.
DeleteI was in tears by the third photo. Those faces were straight out of Norman Rockwell, and those smiles! They were so proud to be wearing those uniforms!
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you, Jerry, THANK YOU!
You're welcome, AK. I had to stop and dry my eyes several times while putting this piece together and several more times as I read all the wonderful comments.
DeleteWhat a lovely memorial. Thank you for sharing and reminding us that there is good in the world, and the men who sadly didn't return were treated with that good.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your kind words, Vic.
DeleteI knew you would do something nice for Memorial Day and a feeling in the Force suggested it would be wonderful. You knocked it out the f****** park. There is a TV miniseries in this story, by the way.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leroy. You're one of the reasons I do this.
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