Lt. Gen. Andrew Davis Bruce

Bruce's plaque follows his commands and decorations. The Handbook adds a scene from the 77th Infantry Division's fighting in the Pacific: in 1945 Bruce and his men buried war correspondent Ernie Pyle on Ie Shima in the Ryukyu Islands. He later commanded the Seventh Division in Korea. After retiring from the Army in 1954 he became president of the University of Houston, which became state-supported during his term, and in 1956 its first chancellor. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and Fort Hood has a housing complex, Bruce Memorial Hall, named for him.

What the plaque says

Lt. Gen. Andrew Davis Bruce Lt. Gen. Andrew Davis Bruce (September 14, 1894-July 27, 1969) Originator of tank destroyer corps; "Father of Fort Hood." Brilliant battlefield leader and educator. Born in St. Louis, Mo.; graduated 1916 from Texas A. and M.; in 1917, began 37 years of active military duty. In France with 2nd Infantry Division, World War I, attained (at 24) temporary rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Served in German occupation, 1919. In 1920s-30s, taught and wrote texts in military science and tactics; and served with 33rd Infantry Division, Panama Canal Zone. When assigned to start tank destroyer center, he situated it at Killeen, Feb. 1942, because of terrain and climate, naming the camp (now a fort) for Gen. John Bell Hood (1831-79), "Whose enemies never saw his back." Made a Major General, Sept. 9, 1942, Bruce commanded 77th Infantry Division in World War II battles of Guam, Leyte, Kerama Rotto, Ie Shima, and Okinawa. As in World War I, he won many decorations, including two awards of the Distinguished Service Cross. He was Governor of Hokkaido, Japan, 1945-46; Deputy Commander, 4th Army, 1947-51; commandant of Armed Forces Staff College from 1951 until his retirement in 1954. (1972) In distinguished civilian career, served University of Houston as president, 1954-56; chancellor, 1956-61. He and wife Roberta (Kennedy) had three children.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Mother Neff State Park — 22 mi
  A Leon River park that grew from six acres Isabella Neff left the state in her 1921 will, where Civilian Conservation Corps Company 817 built a stone tower, a pavilion and roads in the 1930s.
• Hancock Springs Park — 25 mi
  Lampasas's city park on Sulphur Creek, with a spring-fed swimming pool that holds about 69 degrees all year, the walls of the old bathhouse and a golf course.
• Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum — 25 mi
  The Santa Fe depot of 1911 in a railroad town that began in 1880 as a construction camp, now a museum with locomotives and cars parked beside the active rail yard.

More markers nearby

• The 1st Cavalry Division — steps away
• Second Armored Division, U. S. Army — 1.3 mi
• Oveta Culp Hobby and the Women's Army Corps — 2.5 mi
• Santa Fe Depot — 2.8 mi