World War I Shortly after his graduation, the
United States entered World War I. In June 1917 Bruce joined the
United States Army as a
second lieutenant in the
Infantry Branch. He served in the First Officers Training Camp at
Leon Springs, Texas. After completing his training he was sent to combat in France as part of the
2nd Infantry Division's
5th Machine Gun Battalion. He saw action in the
trenches of the
Western Front in the Troyon Sector near
Verdun, in the
Aisne Defensive operation near
Chateau Thierry, the
Aisne-Marne offensive at
Soissons, the
fighting at St. Mihiel, and the
Meuse-Argonne Offensive at Blanc Mont. Following the signing of the
Armistice with Germany on November 11, 1918, he moved with his division into Germany to be part of the
occupation force. At the relatively young age of 24 Bruce achieved the temporary rank of
lieutenant colonel.
Between the wars In 1920, Bruce married Roberta Linnell Kennedy. The couple made their home in
Bryan, Texas, near Texas A&M, and Bruce taught
military science and
tactics at
Allen Academy. They had three children. It was also during the fighting on Guam that saw Bruce receive the
Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the citation for which reads: At Leyte, in the Philippines, the division was responsible for taking Palompon, the last main port the Japanese held on the island. During the ten-day battle for that area of the island, from December 21 through December 31, 1944, the division estimated that they had killed 5,779 Japanese soldiers and taken 29 prisoners, with only 17 Americans killed, 116 wounded, and 6 missing in action.
Post-World War II After the
surrender of Japan, Bruce served as the military governor of
Hokkaidō. In 1946, he was transferred to be, briefly, commander of the
7th Infantry Division which was occupying
Korea. He returned to the United States in October 1947, becoming deputy army commander of the
Fourth Army stationed at
Fort Sam Houston in Texas. His primary responsibilities were to assist with the training activities of the
Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC),
National Guard and
Organized Reserve Corps of five states. Bruce became
commandant of the
Armed Forces Staff College in
Norfolk, Virginia, in early July 1951 and was promoted to the
three-star rank of
lieutenant general on July 30, 1951. He retired from the U.S. Army on July 31, 1954. Bruce's decorations during his long military career included the DSC, the Army DSM with
oak leaf cluster, the Navy DSM, the
Legion of Merit, the
Bronze Star, an
Air Medal, and the
Purple Heart. ==University of Houston==