Bradfords Are Co-Veterans Of The Month For May 2023
Bradfords Are Co-Veterans Of The Month For May 2023
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Bradfords Are Co-Veterans Of The Month For May 2023Though their stories began thousands of miles away, Ronald and Ruth Bradford have had many things in common, including serving in the U.S. military.
On Tuesday, the Warsaw couple were named the Kosciusko County Co-Veterans of the Month for May 2023 by the Kosciusko County Commissioners. Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell presented the Bradfords and their history to the commissioners.
“We honor our veterans each month, normally, but in this case today, I get the honor to welcome ... two veterans that are currently married, who had lifestyles that started earlier in their years thousands of miles apart,” McDowell said, adding that they were brought together over time.
Ruth Mililani Bradford was born July 11, 1936, and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, as one of 14 children. After graduating from Hilo High School in 1954 at 17, she wanted to join the Women’s Army Corps but needed her parents to sign their consent before she could enlist because of her age. After her parents gave their consent, she enlisted with 12 other women from Hawaii at the same time in 1954.
She was trained as a personnel management specialist and sent to Fort Hood, Texas. After serving two years, Ruth received an honorable discharge in 1956 and returned to Hilo.
McDowell said Ruth felt she learned many new things in the service and helped her grow.
Ruth didn’t stay in Hilo. With two sisters in California, she moved there in 1956.
She was married and had five children.
Ronald was born in Flint, Mich., in 1932 and was one of five children. He lived in Durnad, Mich., and was drafted through the Selective Service into the U.S. Army in 1952.
After 12 weeks of basic infantry training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., Ronald was transferred to Camp Pickett, Va., for training as a medical corpsman. After graduation, he was shipped to Korea and served as a medic in a unit that’s part of the Third Infantry Division. He later served in a medical detachment in the 24th Infantry Division Artillery.
During his service, Ronald earned the Combat Medical Badge, Korean Service Ribbon and the United Nations Service Medal. McDowell said a person does not receive the Combat Medical Badge unless you administer aid to a person in a combat situation.
Ronald was honorably discharged in October 1954. After leaving the military, Ronald took advantage of the military G.I. Education Bill to go to college. After graduating college, he worked in the ministry for many years, with his final position being with Crown International as a purchasing administrator.
Ronald’s first wife of nearly 60 years died. Ronald has one daughter, two grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Ronald’s daughter, who lived in Warsaw, asked him to come and live in Warsaw. He ended up living in the same location as Ruth, near Kroger, though they didn’t start talking to each other for six years.
Ronald and Ruth were married Nov. 11, 2011.
After being presented the frame certificate from McDowell and the commissioners, Ronald said he was never sorry to have served.
“People have come up to me and said, ‘The Forgotten War, huh?’ I said, ‘You just reminded me that it wasn’t forgotten.’ It was not a forgotten war. It’s never been a forgotten war with me. I believe it was the hand of God that led me into the service, and everything that’s come to me since I’ve been out of the service. But the hand of God led me into another direction. On 11-11-11, my beautiful Hawaiian wife came into my life,” Ronald said.
He said in talking to McDowell, he and Ruth finally met at the Courts of Colfax. “And we were talking about the things we had in common. One thing, our birthdays are both in July. Hers is the 11th, mine is the 5th. We both had exactly the same kind of car - same model, same year. We both were in the service. And we both loved each other, that’s about enough to be in common,” so he decided to marry her, he said.
Since their marriage, Ronald said he’s been to Hawaii four times and met Ruth’s big family.
