Ferdinand J. Bronzell

Rank: Private First Class, U.S. Army

Unit: Litter Platoon, Company B, 110th Medical Battalion, 35th Infantry Division

From: Chicago, Illinois

Awards: Silver Star, Purple Heart

On January 4, 1945, the 137th Infantry Regiment, a part of the 35th Infantry Division, was engaged in fighting in and about the village of Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, Belgium. The American and German armies had been engaged in combat here and at the neighboring village of Lutrebois since December 29th, as the Battle of the Bulge reached its climax.

Despite instructions not to go forward in the face of heavy fire to retrieve casualties, a four-man litter team from Company B of the 110th Medical Battalion led by Technician 5th Class James Gollinger of Massena, NY, went forth to aid wounded soldiers. The team was hit by a mortar round, killing Gollinger, Private Gerald Fenner of Carthage, MO, and Private Louis Beauchaine of Warwick, RI, and seriously wounding the fourth, Private First Class Ferdinand Bronzell of Chicago, IL. All members of the litter team were awarded the Silver Star.

Ferdinand Bronzell, a 1943 graduate of DePaul University, was discharged by the U.S. Army on January 29, 1946, from a hospital in Springfield, MO, and returned to civilian life in the Chicago area. He worked as a teacher and principal.

He also had a second career, serving in the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He served as Post Commander of the Wilber J. Roeder Post 1229 of the VFW, a state commander in Illinois of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and for over 15 years, the editor of the Purple Heart Magazine. He was a frequent writer to local newspapers.