Technician Fifth Grade Rowland Bush
Rowland G. Bush was born on April 15, 1910 in Denver, Colorado to Katherine and Henry Bush. The family eventually moved to San Francisco, California where Bush enlisted in the United States Army on December 1, 1942. At the age of 32, he joined the 413th Infantry Regiment as part of the 104th Infantry Division, nicknamed the Timberwolves. He was a Technician 5th Grade and served as a medic with his unit.
The 104th Infantry Division was activated into military service in September, 1942 at Camp Adair, Oregon. Bush joined the Division and trained in the northwestern United States before leaving for Europe with the division on August 27, 1944, landing in France on September 7, 1944.
On October 23, 1944, the 104th Infantry Division moved into defensive positions near Wuustwezel, Belgium as part of the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. Under British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the Division planned to clear out the Scheldt Estuary and help open the port of Antwerp.
The 104th Infantry Division moved to an area by the Belgium and Dutch borders and began an offensive on October 25 in chilly, wet, and muddy conditions with sporadic German resistance. It was during this engagement that Rowland Bush was killed at the age of 34. Bush was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star posthumously:
"For gallantry in action on 25 October 1944 the company to which Technician Bush was assigned as aid man, while advancing to its objective, was pinned to the ground by an intense barrage of artillery, mortar, machine gun, and rifle fire and had suffered numerous casualties among the men caught in exposed positions on coverless terrain. Technician Bush, voluntarily and at great risk to his life, left his covered position and went forward to administer first aid to the wounded men and succeeded in evacuating many men before he was fatally wounded. His heroic actions, above and beyond the ordinary call of duty, are in keeping with the finest traditions of the American Medical Soldier in his mission of mercy, and reflect the highest credit on Technician Bush and the Military Service."
Rowland G. Bush was initially buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium but re-interred at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.
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By Tanner Christy
