War Stories III (46 page)

DR. BERNARD J. RYAN
, wounded at Normandy, Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, is the recipient of two Silver Stars and two Purple Hearts. After the war he returned to New York to practice medicine.

WALTER D. EHLERS
is a Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipient who was wounded four times. In 1946, after a tour of duty with the U.S. occupation forces in Germany, he left the service and returned to California, where he worked for the Veteran's Administration, married, and raised three daughters.

LEONARD LOMELL
was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, our nation's second highest decoration for valor, for his courage in France. He participated in the fortieth and fiftieth D-Day anniversaries in France.

ARTHUR “ART” VAN COOK
came home in September 1945, rejoined the National Guard as a captain, and was recalled to active duty in 1948. He served in Korea and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1964 to become a civilian administrator in the office of the secretary of defense. He retired a second time in 1984, started a consulting firm and retired “for good” in 1988.

JERRY MARKHAM
, awarded the Navy Cross for valor at Normandy, went to Harvard on the GI Bill and became a labor relations negotiator. He worked for Continental Can Company and led its subsidiary, Hazel Atlas Glass Co., with fourteen plants and 9,000 employees. After heading several other corporations, he returned to Omaha beach in 1984 to mark the fortieth anniversary of D-Day.

CHARLES CURLEY
stayed in the Army for a year after the war and met his future wife in 1947. They married, raised five children, and now have six grandchildren. In 2004, sixty years after the invasion of Normandy, Charles was awarded the French Legion of Honor in ceremonies in France.

ROBERT WEISS
was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star (France), Fourragere (Belgium), and European Theater ribbon for his participation in four major battles. After the war he became an attorney, married, raised two children, and wrote a book about his experiences at Hill 314,
Fire Mission! The Siege at Mortain.

ANGEL GARCIA
was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts for his courage and wounds. After leaving the service in 1945, he married, raised his family in California, and wrote about his experiences. He has been honored in France for his service and has participated in 30th Infantry Division reunions in Normandy, France.

MURRAY PULVER
received the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star for his service in the 30th Infantry Division. After the war he managed a cold storage business, returned to farming, and later became the owner-manager of a service station. His book,
The Longest Year
, chronicles his experiences in World War II.

RENE DEFOURNEAUX
served with the OSS in IndoChina after V-E day and is a recipient of the Silver Star. He left the OSS in 1946, but continued to serve in military intelligence and counter-intelligence assignments until he retired in 1965.

DONALD BURGETT
returned to the U.S. and was discharged in 1946. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star for valor, three Purple Hearts, and numerous other decorations. He married Twyla in 1953 and they have five children and nine grandchildren.