What you should know about World War II veteran and RNC speaker William Pekrul of Milwaukee
One of the speakers at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night is Sergeant William Pekrul, a Milwaukee native and decorated World War II veteran.
The theme for the third night of the convention is “Make America Strong Once Again.” Pekrul is scheduled to speak between 8:30 and 9 p.m.
Pekrul, 99, received two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star for his service in World War II. He has since received additional local recognition, including in 2019 when he served as grand marshal of the Veterans Day Parade in Milwaukee.
A Milwaukee native, Pekrul enlisted in the U.S. Army at Boys Tech High School (now Bradley Tech), according to an interview he gave to the War Memorial Center as part of the Wisconsin Veterans Story Project. Pekrul fought with the 29th Infantry Regiment in the second wave of troops during the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
In his interview with the War Memorial Center, Pekrul spoke to the generations after him and said: “In my time there were more patriotic people than today.”
He also said that it is Americans’ duty to serve in war when called, but ultimately “wars solve nothing.”
Pekrul also described his time in Belgium when his feet froze overnight after a heroic act. He had dragged his wounded platoon leader into a basement where they waited all night in sub-zero temperatures while German soldiers ran across the floors above. Pekrul survived and was awarded the Silver Star for his actions.
He spent a month and a half in an English hospital where his feet healed. He then returned to the 75th Infantry Regiment and fought until the end of the war. He was discharged in 1946 and met his wife a week after his return. They have been married for 76 years and have 11 children.
At the end of his story, Pekrul became emotional and said, “I thought I would never come back.”
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