Bruce Weill was my uncle, son of Mary Lura Morgan and John Menaugh. Mary and John were married around 1946, after she divorced Ernest A. Weill III. She and John split around 1948, and she later got back with EAWIII.
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| Bruce, about 1949, back of photo says he's 2 yrs old |
Bruce was born May 20, 1947. He placed on the Asperger spectrum, although Ana can speak more freely about his symptoms. Around 1963, EAWIII adopted Bruce and his last name became Weill.
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| Ana and Bruce in Pennsylvania, about 1949--this is the photo that Jude's pen and ink drawing is based on. |
He entered the army and served in Vietnam. He started his tour in September of 1967. He died on March 24, 1968 in Hau Nghia Province, South Vietnam. The report on his service and death can be seen on any number of Vietnam Veteran's sites, like
this one. You can click on 'see full profile' to see more about his mission.
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| John Bruce Weill in uniform, about 1966/67, hand-tinted photo, by a Des Moines photographer |
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He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, Vietnam Service, Good Conduct, and National Defense Medals.
I do not have an original newspaper clipping of his obituary. I do have this clipping about his Bronze Star, though.
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| He was a rifleman and specialist |
A lovely tribute to a heroic young man! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI remember that Bruce could not pass the literacy test required for enlisting in the Army. But he used to hang around the recruitment office, admiring the men in uniform. They helped him learn the answers to the questions by heart, so he could pass the test and die in Viet Nam. He was proud to be a soldier though.
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