William “Bill” Pekrul, 98, and married for 76 years with 11 children, acknowledged to a cheering crowd at last night’s Republican National Convention that he still believes in his country and its founding ideals.
“There aren’t many of us left today, but for those of us who are here, America is still worth fighting for,” he shared.
A recipient of two Bronze stars and a Silver Star for his service during World War II, the Wisconsin native fought at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and in various other battles. He spent a month-and-a-half hospitalized in England after nearly freezing to death fighting in Belgium.
Sgt. Pekrul is part of the “Greatest Generation,” but he seems to shy away from such a designation.
“I don’t know if we were really the greatest [generation],” he said recently. “We lived through the hard times during the Depression. And we fought World War II.”
From his earliest days, Pekrul has navigated difficulty. His father abandoned the family when he was just 6 months old. Bill enlisted in the Amy when he was 17, and by his 18th birthday he was storming the beaches of France.
Just a week after being released from his military service in 1945, Bill received a call from a friend asking him if he wanted to buy one of the barracks at Fort McCoy. The last military installation he served at in Wisconsin, the Army was moving from war to peace footing. Bill agreed to buy it for $500 and spent the next 18 weeks dismantling it, taking all the wood, windows, and doors. He then took the materials and built a house for he and his new wife, Rosemary. They still live in that house today.
As a newly minted civilian, Bill took a job as a tool and die apprentice with General Motors. He eventually transitioned from that role to working on the guidance system that helped men get to the moon.
Along the way, Bill and Rosemary, who are devout Catholics, raised six girls and five boys. They now have 66 grandchildren.
Bill attributes his longevity to his faith and family, plus his abstinence from drinking and smoking. He’s also sober minded about life, looking to the scriptures for answers and guidance.
“I read the Bible,” he said. “And it says in the Bible, as long as there is man on earth, there will be wars.”
And despite his advancing age, Bill remains as feisty as ever.
“America is our home,” he said. “You know, when I was fighting in Europe, and I came back home, I kissed the ground, thanking God that I’m back home in my country. And where I come from, when somebody comes for me, you dig in your boots in the ground and never look back. That’s the attitude that saved the free world those years ago.”
Bill may quibble or humbly defer on how just “great” his generation was, but few, if any, will argue about the great life Sgt. Pekrul has lived and how many great lessons all of us can learn from him as we navigate the days and years to come.
Image credit: ABC News
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