The Library of Congress Veterans History Project Home 
Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History Project
Home » Burton Ruby
 

"I sometimes felt that was the bullet that had my name on it." (Interview)

   Burton Ruby
Image of Burton Ruby
Burton Ruby [detail]
War: World War II, 1939-1946
Branch: Army
Unit: L Company, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division
Service Location: Camp Wheeler, Georgia; Utah Beach, Saint-Lô and Paris, France; Germany
Highest Rank: Sergeant
Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
View Full Description

After attending a military high school and enrolling in ROTC at the University of Wisconsin, Burton Ruby was eager to enlist in the service in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. But the military didn't seem to be interested in him, so he married and began a family, only to be drafted in 1943. As a sergeant with an infantry regiment, Ruby and his men were on Utah Beach on June 7, when there were still plenty of bullets to dodge. They made it inland about one mile that first day, but there were many more obstacles to overcome, including frostbite that winter in the Hurtgen Forest.

Interview (Audio)
»Interview Highlights  (3 clips)
»Complete Interview  (26 min.)
  Photos
»Photo Album (2 photos)
More like this
»D-Day Plus
 Audio (Interview Excerpts) (3 items)
Directing an artillery barrage that earned him a medal. (01:24) The liberation of Paris. (01:52) Coming ashore on D-Day. (04:19)
  
 
Home » Burton Ruby
 
  The Library of Congress
  May 29, 2007
Veterans History Project Home
Contact Us