Gabriel Bruno
Gabriel Bruno was born on March 13, 1922 in San Pietro in Italy’s Cosenza Province. His father Giacomo Bruno had left for America earlier and was planning on sending for Gabriel and his wife Anna to come over after he had gotten settled. But soon after this, Gabriel’s mother died of tuberculosis, so he left Italy and came to America alone on a ship named the SS Conto di Savoriat at the age of 14. The highest level of education he completed was the seventh grade. He then registered for World War II in 1942 at the age of 20 to serve in the Allied forces. He had brown eyes and black hair, was 5’6, and weighed 122 pounds at the time of his registration. He served in the US Army as a corporal and was a rifleman with Company A 110th infantry in Rhineland, Germany, and in Central Europe. He was wounded in action in 1944, and was later captured in the Hurtgen Forest in November 1944 by German forces and taken as a prisoner of war. When captured, he recalled that a German officer took his cigarettes, but later gave them back saying, “there are no enemies on the front lines.” He was liberated in May 1945 at the age of 24 and returned to Vandergrift, PA. He was awarded a Purple Heart, an European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, two Bronze Stars, an American Campaign Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal. After serving, he worked as manager of a mechanical test lab, Allegheny Ludlum West Leechburg Works, for over 40 years. He was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, Allegheny Township Lions Club, Sought Chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War in Altoona, and was an Allegheny Township supervisor. He was married to his wife Sue Bowser Bruno for 65 years, and together they had 3 sons and 5 grandchildren. He died on January 6, 2018 at the age of 95.
Gabriel Bruno was born on March 13, 1922 in San Pietro in Italy’s Cosenza Province. His father Giacomo Bruno had left for America earlier and was planning on sending for Gabriel and his wife Anna to come over after he had gotten settled. But soon after this, Gabriel’s mother died of tuberculosis, so he left Italy and came to America alone on a ship named the SS Conto di Savoriat at the age of 14. The highest level of education he completed was the seventh grade. He then registered for World War II in 1942 at the age of 20 to serve in the Allied forces. He had brown eyes and black hair, was 5’6, and weighed 122 pounds at the time of his registration. He served in the US Army as a corporal and was a rifleman with Company A 110th infantry in Rhineland, Germany, and in Central Europe. He was wounded in action in 1944, and was later captured in the Hurtgen Forest in November 1944 by German forces and taken as a prisoner of war. When captured, he recalled that a German officer took his cigarettes, but later gave them back saying, “there are no enemies on the front lines.” He was liberated in May 1945 at the age of 24 and returned to Vandergrift, PA. He was awarded a Purple Heart, an European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, two Bronze Stars, an American Campaign Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal. After serving, he worked as manager of a mechanical test lab, Allegheny Ludlum West Leechburg Works, for over 40 years. He was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, Allegheny Township Lions Club, Sought Chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War in Altoona, and was an Allegheny Township supervisor. He was married to his wife Sue Bowser Bruno for 65 years, and together they had 3 sons and 5 grandchildren. He died on January 6, 2018 at the age of 95.
