biography
Bruce was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in the Miami, FL area until he enlisted in the Army in 1966. After basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia and advanced training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, he was sent to Vietnam as an Infantry Private where he served with the 1st Calvary Division. Bruce earned distinction and the Bronze Star while serving as a “tunnel rat” scouting out the tunnel system of the Viet Cong in search of the enemy, where he captured an enemy officer on one such mission.
His next duty station was as a member of the prestigious 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, at Ft Myer, VA where his duties included rendering honors to those heroes being buried at Arlington National Cemetery, performing escort service for the president and other dignitaries, and furthering the mission of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the nation’s oldest active regiment. From there, he went on to serve in various capacities and assignments across the United States and around the world, including Germany, Hawaii, and Korea.
Bruce retired from the Army in 1986 at the rank of Sergeant First Class with 20 years and one month of service.
During his career of service, he also earned the Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantry Badge.
He died in late 2017 of congestive heart failure and kidney failure as a result of exposure to Agent Orange during his tour of duty in Vietnam. He is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
