Follow Up on Paul Brueggeman's Post

I rarely get comments on blog posts so I really don't look for them.  I found one tonight that gives us a lot more information:

Paul R. Brueggeman was in the 1st Marine Division. He was injured in a friendly fire incident in which he lost his right leg and his left leg was severely injured. Wounds received in service 6/45 Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. Participated in operations against enemy forces on Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 12/43- 2/44; Pelelieu, Palau Islands, Okinawa, 4/45-6/45, and Ryukyu Islands 4/45-6/45. Also served in New Caledonia, New Guinea, Russell Islands, and Guadal Canal. He was Awarded Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation, and Good Conduct Medal. Other notes:

 His oldest son Paul Alan Brueggeman also served as a Marine in Vietnam. {Paul R. oldest Granddaughter- 2nd Lt. Navy. Candace Marie Brueggeman(James R.) has just returned from serving in a year in Iraq.
----Donna Brueggeman

Thanks Donna for providing the great information on this branch of the family's service!  Unfortunately, I am not sure "who" Donna "belongs to" but I will email her tonight.

Riley - Roberts Family Connection

I received an email with really interesting news recently.    It is hard to follow exactly so I have drawn a family tree so you can see the connection:


Dear Lynne: We were in contact with one another at the end of August about Ezra and Grace Riley. I followed up a link from my Uncle Max (James Maxwell Gratton) to King Riley Bruggemann Cork Jewitt Tucker White yesterday and discovered that his mother was Mary Riley, the daughter of Ezra Riley and Jane Roberts. As I explained previously, Jane's youngest sister, Ann, married Alexander John Elder and their daughter, Annie (1893-1927), married my grandfather, John Rothwell (1869-1960), in 1893. Now comes the interesting bit. John and Annie had 4 children, Florence (1895-1978), Anne (1897-about 1993), John Alexander (1899-1975) and Alfred (1908-2010). Anne Rothwell worked as a nurse during WW1 and after the war qualified as a doctor. While she was studying, she met James Maxwell Gratton, who, like his father, became a Wesleyan Methodist minister. Anne and Max went to Hankow, China, as missionaries, and married in 1925 in Japan (because there were disturbances in China at the time). They left China with their 3 children in 1939 after the outbreak of WW2. Max went back on his own in 1946 and left in 1948 just before the communists took over.Your tree also mentions that his sister, Ruth Grace Gratton (1893-1932), left her estate to John (presumably my father, John Alexander) and his younger brother, Alfred Rothwell. Why she left it to them and not for instance to her nephews and nieces is not explained.
Kind regards David

So, two Second Cousins found each other and married.  Thank you David for making this connection.

Veterans' Day: Facebook App from Ancestry.com

Honor Veterans with New Facebook App

Veterans Day is a time when honoring our military veterans becomes a ritual that everyone takes part in. And now, at Ancestry.com, we are allowing you to do so and share it with the world on our Honoring Our Heroes Facebook application. Every day, Ancestry.com helps people learn about the military veterans in their family history. So, we’ve partnered with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to raise $15,000 in honor of our veterans during this special time period. Taking part, couldn’t be easier. Simply visit the Honoring our Heroes app on Facebook and enter a short message honoring a military veteran. Post it to your Facebook wall and Ancestry.comwill donate $1 to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

Veterans' Day: Paul Richard Brueggeman

Paul was the son of E. August (Gus) Brueggeman and Dora Loose, their second son.
He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Here is a record showing his service:

Paul R Brueggeman
Gender:	Male
Birth Date:	28 Jun 1923
Death Date:	18 Dec 1984
SSN:	295180164
Branch 1:	M
Enlistment Date 1:	9 Mar 1943
Release Date 1:	29 Nov 1946

He was wounded in action:

World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945about Paul Richard Brueggeman

Name: Paul Richard Brueggeman Relative Name: Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Brueggeman Relative Relationship: Parents (Parent) State: Ohio Country: United States Type of Casualty: Wounded In Action Roll: ww2c_27 He is listed in this record as Pfc USMC.  His parents' address was listed as 1008 Stadelman Avenue in Akron.  No date is listed in this record nor the nature of his injury. It's too bad that none of the records I can find list anything about where he was assigned so I could track his division. Here is the information about Paul from Findagrave.com: Note: Interment date 12-21-1984. Corporal US Marine Corps. Veteran Service Dates from 03-09-1943 to 11-29-1946. Information extracted from the National Cemetery Administration's National Gravesite Locator. http://www.cem.va.gov/ Burial: Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Arlington County Virginia, USA Plot: Section 70 Site 1393

World War II Facts

A couple of little facts to share:

The first American serviceman killed was killed by the Russians (Finland 1940).

The highest ranking American killed was Lt. Gen. Lesley McNair, killed by the US Army Air Corps.

The youngest US serviceman was 12 year old Calvin Graham, USN. He was wounded in combat and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his age. (His benefits were later restored by act of Congress).

At the time of Pearl Harbor, the top US Navy command was called CINCUS (pronounced “sink us”), the shoulder patch of the US Army’s 45th Infantry division was the Swastika, and Hitler’s private train was named “Amerika”. All three were soon changed for PR purposes.

More US servicemen died in the Air Corps that the Marine Corps. 


While completing the required 30 missions, your chance of being killed was 71%. Not that bombers were helpless. A B-17 carried 4 tons of bombs and 1.5 tons of machine gun ammo. The US 8th Air Force shot down 6,098 fighter planes, 1 for every 12,700 shots fired

Veterans' Day: Edwin Louis Brueggeman Jr

Name:	Edwin L Brueggeman Jr
Birth Year:	1924
Race:	White, Citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country:	Ohio
State of Residence:	Ohio
Enlistment Date:	14 Jul 1944
Enlistment State:	Ohio
Enlistment City:	Cleveland
Branch Code:	No branch assignment
Term of Enlistment:	Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component:	Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source:	Civil Life
Education:	3 years of high school
Marital Status:	Single, without dependents
Height:	00
Weight:	000

Edwin was the son of Edwin and Esther Brueggeman.  According to his obit, he served in the Army and retired from the Army Reserves as a Chief Warrant Officer 4.  I know nothing else about his service.  He died in 2000.

Follow Up from Eugene Brueggeman about Rudolf

I received the following message from Gene about his dad's service:

 The only thing Dad ever said about his service is that he fought the battle of the Potomac, which meant that he served in Washington. He had learned surveying, which is why the 472nd Engineers was where he ended up. He had a picture of his battalion, but I'm afraid it was tossed when we moved from Bay Village to Rocky River in 1943. We have one picture of him in uniform. which, if I ever learn how, I will send to you.