the bushmasters
As a kid, I had the privelege of spending a lot of time with my grandfather, Roland Lacroix. We would sit for hours and talk about
his experiences during the Second World War. It was a proud and defining span of his life for this loom operator from Woonsocket, RI.
In many respects, his service in the war was typical of Americans of his generation - a son of immigrants who grew up during the great
depresssion. But his service and his life were as unique as any other soldier of the time.
He served in Battery B of the 87th Armored Field Artillery Battallion.
This battallion, known as the "Bushmasters" made it's landing on the D-Day beaches on D-Day plus 3. They went on to serve throughout the
European theater where my grandfather was wounded several times earning two purple hearts in the process.
Sadly, my grandfather passed away about 16 years ago after a long and hard battle with cancer. What follows are
scanned original documents from his term of service during the war. Simply click on one of the thumbnails to open a
larger copy in a new window.
promotion certificate
disability award
honorable discharge
french citation
belgian citation
