Their Story
Bruce Evan Trunnell was born on March 25, 1950, to Robert and Gertrude Trunnell in Moline, Illinois. He graduated from United Township High School where he participated in band[1] and parliamentary procedure and attended Black Hawk College. By August 14, 1969, Trunnell was deployed to Quan Loi, Vietnam, to serve with the 1st Air Cavalry Division of the United States Army.[2]
Trunnell served with the legendary 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam and Cambodia. The 1st Air Cavalry Division, nicknamed “First Team”, was the first full Army division deployed to Vietnam on September 11, 1965.[3] In order to better organize military operations, South Vietnam was divided into four tactical zones called corps.[4] First Team would be the only American division to fight in each corps by the end of the war, utilizing innovative tactics where ground forces were maneuvered around the battlefield via helicopter.
Before Trunnell arrived, First Team made their legend in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley against a numerically superior North Vietnamese force in November 1965, and also in relieving the besieged Marines at the city of Hue during the Tet Offensive in 1968.[5] Trunnell was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam in August 1969.[6] His first stop in Vietnam was at First Team’s base camp in Quan Loi, which was built upon the red dirt of an old French rubber plantation.[7] Not long after, Trunnell would join First Team in the invasion of Cambodia.
In March 1970, Trunnell married Peggy Ashcroft. He was stationed in Vietnam at the time and returned there shortly after the wedding.[8] They divorced sometime before 1984.[9]
Trunnell’s first combat experience was likely in the controversial invasion of Cambodia. Although trying to cling to neutrality, Cambodia became filled with North and South Vietnamese sanctuaries and sympathizers as the war progressed. To top off an already volatile situation, in 1970 pro-American general Lon Nol ousted prime minister Sihanouk from power, sparking a civil war in Cambodia. The next month, President Nixon authorized the invasion of Cambodia by U.S. and South Vietnamese forces, with the aim of attacking the North Vietnamese sanctuaries in the country.[10] Given the time of his arrival in Vietnam, it is likely that Trunnell joined First Company in the speartip of the invasion.[11] This invasion ultimately did not last long, as protests in America caused Nixon to withdraw troops from Cambodia in favor of military aid to Lon Nol and air strikes in the Cambodian countryside.[12] After returning to Vietnam, First Team conducted operations in III and IV Corps, one or both of which Trunnell likely participated in.[13]
After the end of the Vietnam War, Trunnell returned home to Illinois. He lived in East Moline, where he worked for 18 years as a repair technician at Office Machine Consultants, and later as a slot technician at the Rhythm City Casino. He married Vicki Martin in 1990.[14] He had a long list of hobbies, including golfing, fantasy football, dancing, and flying model airplanes with the Moline Sky Raiders Club. He was a fan of country music, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chicago Bears. Trunnell passed away at the age of 63 on May 27, 2013, at Hope Creek Care Center in East Moline.[15] He leaves behind the legacy of brave service in a deadly and unpopular conflict.
[1] U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016 – Ancestry.com
[2] “In Uniform,” The Dispatch, August 14, 1969, p. 37.
[3] “1st Cavalry Division Arrives in South Vietnam,” History (A&E Television Networks, September 13, 2021).
[4] “Corps Tactical Zones,” Vietnam Battlefield Tours, accessed August 4, 2022.
[5] “1st Cavalry Division Arrives in South Vietnam,” History (A&E Television Networks, September 13, 2021).
[6] 25 Aug 1969, 11 – The Rock Island Argus at Newspapers.com
[7] “Welcome To Quan Loi Vietnam,” quanloi.org, 2022.
[8] 25 Mar 1970, 21 – The Rock Island Argus at Newspapers.com
[9] 24 Aug 1985, 11 – The Dispatch at Newspapers.com
[10] “War Closes in on Cambodia,” United States holocaust memorial museum, accessed August 4, 2022.
[11] “U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division,” www.army.mil, accessed August 4, 2022.
[12] “War Closes in on Cambodia,” United States holocaust memorial museum, accessed August 4, 2022.
[13] “1st Cavalry Division Arrives in South Vietnam,” History (A&E Television Networks, September 13, 2021),.
[14] 30 May 2013, 14 – The Dispatch at Newspapers.com
[15] “Bruce Trunnell,” The Dispatch, May 30, 2013, p. 14.
References
Bibliography
“1st Cavalry Division Arrives in South Vietnam.” History. A&E Television Networks, September 13, 2021..
“Bruce Trunnell in the U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999.” Ancestry, 2010..
“Bruce Trunnell.” The Dispatch. May 30, 2013.
“Corps Tactical Zones.” Vietnam Battlefield Tours. Accessed August 4, 2022.
“In Uniform.” The Dispatch. August 14, 1969.
“U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division.” www.army.mil. Accessed August 4, 2022.
“War Closes in on Cambodia.” United States holocaust memorial museum. Accessed August 4, 2022.
“Welcome To Quan Loi Vietnam.” quanloi.org, 2022.
30 May 2013, 14 – The Dispatch at Newspapers.com
25 Mar 1970, 21 – The Rock Island Argus at Newspapers.com
U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016 – Ancestry.com