Author Archives: John

WWII Veteran Charles ‘Chick’ Bruns dies at 98

Posted on September 10, 2017 by John

Charles ‘Chick’ Bruns who kept this WWII diary, took all the photographs, collected post cards and shared loving letters with his parents died today at the age of 98. Chick was a lifelong resident of Champaign and graduated from Champaign … Continue reading →

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Closing Comment

Posted on August 19, 2015 by John

Yesterday, after almost 3 years, my father’s WWII Diary came to a close and my daily journey with dad concluded;  but my journey with his experiences will continue.   My hope is to continue to publish photos, video and audio … Continue reading →

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Home Coming

Posted on August 18, 2015 by John

               

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August 18, 1945 – Saturday

Posted on August 18, 2015 by John

We turned in our sheets. Had a council. Drew our clothes. Got paid and had our final talk. Received our discharge. Now I am a civilian. I walked out the gate to meet Harry. He was the last person I … Continue reading →

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August 17, 1945 – Friday

Posted on August 17, 2015 by John

We sweated out all morning of getting our names on the roster. Finally after dinner or I should say at 3 pm I got on the roster. We got a talk and then a Physical exam. I called Es and … Continue reading →

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August 16, 1945 – Thursday

Posted on August 16, 2015 by John

We were on our way again last night, but Wilusz and I fixed some bags up so we could go to sleep. We are traveling through Pennsylvania now, next Ohio, the Indiana, and last we are pulling into Chicago. We … Continue reading →

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August 15, 1945 – Wednesday

Posted on August 15, 2015 by John

We walked over to the PX this morning to waste time. We took our bags over at noon and left at 1 o’clock for Chicago. We make good time up until we hit New York. Then we had a layover … Continue reading →

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August 14, 1945 – Tuesday

Posted on August 14, 2015 by John

We were treated swell last night in Watersville, Maine. The whole town turned out to give us sandwiches and milk. Then about 12 o’clock at night the Red Cross was waiting with milk and doughnuts. We pulled into camp about … Continue reading →

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August 13, 1945 – Monday

Posted on August 13, 2015 by John

I laid around all morning. Ate dinner and laid around till 3 o’clock. We took our bags over and got ready to go. We went by trucks to a small town and boarded a train. We are going to camp … Continue reading →

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August 12, 1945 – Sunday

Posted on August 12, 2015 by John

We landed in New Foundland at Harmon Field. We ate breakfast there and then took off for the States. We landed at Presq Isle, Maine. We drew clean sheets and ate dinner. I took a shower. Went down to the … Continue reading →

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