Korea – June 1950 Meritorious Service Award Tampa FL May 2004
Robert L. Bruton, Jr. was born in Perry, Florida in January 1931 during the Great Depression. After his segregated schoolhouse burned, Bruton attended classes in church, private homes, the local Knights of Pythias Hill, and even under trees. Graduating in May 1947 in a class of eleven students, he entered Florida A&M College in Tallahassee, Florida. Bruton had to drop out of A&M after eighteen months because he could not afford the $56.00 monthly tuition.
In February 1949, at age eighteen, Bruton enlisted in the United States Army and entered basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Although President Truman had signed Executive Order 991 in July 1948 integrating the military, Bruton was assigned to the segregated 365th Infantry Regiment. The regiment was garrisoned on Range Road, a segregated training and housing area for colored troops. Following eight weeks of training, he was transferred to the 173rd Army Band and played the clarinet.
In January 1950, Trooper Bruton was transferred to Camp Gifu, Japan, and was assigned to the 291st Army Band. His time as a band member came to a halt when the Communist-backed North Koreans invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. Over half the band members, including Bruton, were assigned to rifle companies in the 24th Infantry Regiment Combat Team, Company A-24th Infantry Division.
Trooper Bruton was assigned as a runner taking messages (issued orders) from Company Command Post to Platoon Commands, who were most often on the front line. He had to find the platoons under the cover of darkness, often under fire, sometimes-friendly fire but most often from the enemy. Bruton was evacuated to the hospital following an incident with frostbite and again when fragments from an enemy hand grenade injured his right arm. The grenade injury made Bruton eligible for the Purple Heart. Trooper Bruton never lost a platoon. On July 5, 1951, Trooper Bruton was transferred to Camp Drum, New York, and was assigned to the Regimental Band. There were no open slots in the band and he was reassigned to the 512th Military Police Battalion at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was honorably discharged on June 25, 1952.
After be discharged from the Army, Trooper Bruton enrolled in technical training school using his GI Bill educational benefits. Soon after graduation, he opened his own television repair business. He also worked for ten years with Bendix Aviation, and was later hired by the New York Telephone Company, where he retired after 29 years of service, in December 1992.
Trooper Bruton and his wife Betty have eight adult children and eight grandchildren. He is the Trustee-Treasurer of the Union Chapel AME Church – Newark, New Jersey, a member of the 24th Infantry Regiment Association and the Assistant Treasurer of the 9th & 10th (Horse) Cavalry Association.
NOTE: Trooper Bruton received his Purple Heart award on November 8, 2003, 51 years after being wounded in action during the Korean War. Trooper Bruton received his Purple Heart without ceremony when it was delivered to his home by the U. S. Postal Service.