Army veteran Gerald Bregman of Highland Beach with his service medals.
Bregman (shown below in inset in 1943), landed at Normandy
with the 7th Armored Division and moved east to block the Nazi surge
known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Nazis captured him in Belgium,
and he went home after the Allied victory.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Like many members of what Tom Brokaw calls America’s Greatest Generation, Gerald Bregman never felt compelled to discuss his years in the service, including a stint as a prisoner of war.
Even when he returned home in 1945 after the war had ended, Bregman didn’t share a lot of details with his parents. Later, during a successful business career, Bregman hardly spoke about the war, keeping many of the specifics tucked far away from his wife and two sons.
But at 88, Bregman tells the story of his years in the Army with the same pride he has in the medals that he earned decades ago but just received a few years back. He had written to the military asking for the medallions that were overlooked during the chaos following troops’ return from Europe.
“I just feel it’s time I spoke out about my experiences,” he said.
A self-proclaimed “Jewish boy from the Bronx,” Bregman was drafted in 1943 and sent to anti-aircraft training but ended up in the infantry as the need for foot soldiers grew.
Along with thousands of others, Bregman landed in Normandy shortly after the D-Day invasion. He spent time in France and the Netherlands before being sent with the 7th Armored Division to Belgium, in December 1944, to take part in the Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest battle of World War II, in which 19,000 American soldiers lost their lives. The battle also resulted in the largest mass U.S. surrender of the war (although the U.S. ultimately won the battle).
Bregman was among those captured, and he remembers being marched to a nearby train station — with Allied planes dropping bombs all around — where he and other prisoners were packed into cattle cars.
“We were on the train for five days with no food or water,” he said. “We couldn’t even lie down because there were so many guys packed into the car.”
After a short stop at a large prison camp, Bregman was shipped to a rock quarry, where he spent six months breaking rocks from early morning until dark. Though he had warm clothes, Bregman suffered frostbite on his toes and lost close to 80 pounds. Fed only bread and water, he managed to barter for potatoes stolen from the Germans, only to have others in the barracks steal them from him.
Shortly before the war came to an end, Bregman was taken to a rest camp close to a German airfield. He remembers almost being killed twice by friendly fire as British planes bombed the airfield and strafed the surrounding area.
With German soldiers fleeing, the prisoners were free, and Bregman and others were able to walk back to American lines. He was flown back to France and then put on a crowded troop ship and returned to the United States.
After recovering and taking on several jobs, Bregman settled down. He raised his family in suburban New York, where he owned a vending-machine business and later a hardware store.
Today, Bregman, who came to Florida permanently after his wife of more than 50 years died, is enjoying retirement, playing poker and bingo.
He talks easily about everything, from his trips to New England to his trips to the VA clinic not far down the road. Now, he’ll even share stories about his trip to Europe in the 1940s, courtesy of the U.S. Army, tales he kept to himself for decades.
— Rich Pollack
TEN QUESTIONS
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. I grew up in the Bronx and went to local schools, including Stuyvesant High School. I also went to City College.
Q. What are some highlights of your life?
A. Getting married and having two sons and five grandchildren. I had 56 wonderful years with my wife, Marilyn.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Highland Beach?
A. I came down to stay with my son, who lives in Highland Beach.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Highland Beach?
A. I enjoy the activities in my condo and living on the beach.
Q. Why didn’t you talk about your WWII experiences for such a long time?
A. I didn’t think people would be interested. I just didn’t feel like talking about it. It wasn’t a pleasant time of my life. I don’t think many veterans found it pleasant to talk about.
Q. What kept you going during those days as a POW?
A. One of the things that kept me going was that I was able to trade cigarettes for potatoes.
Q. What is the biggest lesson you learned from your wartime experience?
A. I learned that I can survive in tough situations.
Q. If someone made a movie of your life, who would you like to play you and why?
A. Don Rickles would be good. He has no hair, like me, and he’s funny.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. Light classical music.
Q. Who/what makes you laugh?
A. Comedians and funny movies. I also enjoy my own comedy moments.
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