Veterans Remember
Southern Wisconsin veterans remember their experiences this Veterans' Day.
Photo by: Submitted photo
A 20-year-old Bruce Terland stands in front of the Sherman tank he drove in Company C of the 737th Tank Battalion, part of Gen. George Patton’s Third Army, which rushed to reinforce the American units overrun by German attack during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
The picture, dated 1944, was taken with a German camera Terland found in a house that had been bombed.
Terland enlisted in the Army in 1942. He was 19. He had been reading about the war in Life magazine, but it wasn’t until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor that he felt compelled to join the war effort.
Terland reported to California for training, then to Tennessee for practice maneuvers and then to New York for more training. He said the company thought it was headed to Africa, but the war there had ended before they were deployed.
The 737th Tank Battalion participated in major battles in Europe. Terland remembers the German soldiers his company captured made fun of the guns on the tank; it paled in comparison to the guns mounted on German tanks, he said.
Terland was discharged in August 1945.
Terland, 87, of Avalon might be last living member of his company.
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.