Stan, Bud and Steve
Stan writes his weekly letter to family filling them in with his "always persisting tension" lifestyle of serving in the military.
During preparation for his exams, he is persistent in going out one evening to attend theater at William and Mary College with 100 other "Naps." The program was enclosed with the letter as he does not mention the name of the play.
Stan hopes to hear soon from his older brother, Bud, who is serving in the European front in Germany. "I certainly hope he gets across the Rhine without getting his feet wet."
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| Bud Cooper, standing in back left with two war buddies. Bud sent this photo (dated 15 May 1945) to Stan in a letter. |
During this time, Stan's future brother-in-law, Stephen J. Gabuzda, was also fighting in Germany along the west side of the Rhine. He was a radio-man with his fellow soldiers in the famous battle for the Remagen Bridge. He was rewarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service.
"Freeland Radio Man Decorated." The Plain Speaker, (Hazleton, Pennsylvania), Monday, 13 August 1945, page 5, column 3. Newspapers.com on Ancestry.com : Accessed 22 Apr 2018.
Back in 2004, my mother was watching television on the History channel. A series of programs airing all day about World War II caught her attention. She was immediately grabbed by a section covering the battle of Ramadan Bridge. She saw a close up of her brother as he waved his arms just for a few seconds. She recalls, "He filled the whole screen of his torso and head, a good close-up, full face, waving his arm in complete circles with his half smile on his handsome face with his beautiful eyes. He was vigorously waving either troops or vehicles (not shown) across the bridge. The clip was long enough for me to get a good look."
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The Color of War. The History Channel.
Episode 4 - Battleground. 2001
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