By Deborah Larsen
Howard E. Bressler
Howard E. Bressler was born in Detroit, Michigan, on June 12, 1918, the son of John and Annabelle Booth Bressler. He grew up in Rochester, Michigan, where his family lived on Wilcox Street. Howard graduated from Rochester High School in the class of 1936.
Howard enlisted in the Michigan National Guard in March 1941. He was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, when the United States entered World War II after the Pearl Harbor attack. After attending Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and being commissioned as a second lieutenant, Howard was sent to North Africa to join the 2nd Armored Division. The division participated in campaigns in North Africa and Sicily before moving to England to prepare for the invasion of Normandy. Howard landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 9, 1944.
In July 1944, Howard, now a captain in rank, was appointed as aide to Brigadier General Isaac D. White, a position he held until the end of the war. After the war, Howard was assigned to the cavalry school at Fort Riley, Kansas. He married and started a family while continuing a 32-year career as an active-duty Army officer. Howard served as company and battalion commander of various armored units before closing out his military career as deputy base commander at Fort Hood, Texas. He retired from military service in 1973 at the rank of colonel. His military awards included the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Bronze Star.
After military retirement, Howard stayed in Killeen, Texas, where he was very active in community affairs and served on the Board of Regents of the University of Central Texas.
Colonel Howard E. Bressler died at age 93 on February 9, 2012, and was laid to rest at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, Texas.