Edward A. Bruce served his country as a First Sergeant while serving with Headquarters Squadron, 20th Air Base Group, United States Army Air Forces, in the Southwest Pacific Theatre during World War II. Following the Fall of the Philippines to Japanese forces in May 1942, he became a prisoner of war of the Japanese Army and died at an unstated POW Camp in the Philippines on November 17, 1942, at the age of 35.
First Sergeant Bruce was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medal. The Purple Heart honors those wounded or killed while serving their nation, while the Prisoner of War Medal recognizes the extraordinary hardships endured by American servicemen held captive by enemy forces.
Edward Bruce’s name is engraved on the plaque at Memorial Park in Downers Grove honoring local servicemen who never returned home.
