Talk to WWII Veteran Al Bucci – January 23rd (Saturday)

Have you always wanted to meet a WWII veteran and ask him questions? Now is your chance! Make sure you have Zoom downloaded on your phone or computer and we will be inviting some of you to join our video conversation live on Youtube! We wish we could be out in person with these guys but this is the next best thing!

Ask Al Bucci a question live on Youtube! Come join our Zoom conversation Saturday, January 23rd at 10:00 AM PST (1 PM EST, 6 PM GMT) when we go live on Youtube. We will post the link to join on Zoom in the chat section of Youtube when the live stream starts. Join Al, Donnie Edwards, and some of the Best Defense team for a great time with some great conversations about WWII! Set a reminder and subscribe to our YouTube page!

Al Bucci was born in Baltimore on June 17, 1923, and grew up in the “Pig Town” section of Baltimore, known for the running of the pigs to the nearby slaughterhouse.

Shortly after graduating from Southern High School, Al went to enlist in the Army but he was told to come back in three days to join in the tank corp. The next day Al received his draft notice, so he never returned to enlist.
Al was then sent to Camp Vandor, Mississippi for basic training, then Louisiana maneuvers, Camp Maxie and to Fort Sill for communications training, where they wanted him to remain as an instructor, but he declined to leave the 99th Division, as he had been training with them since basic training.

Al was soon shipped out of Boston with the 99th Division, arriving in England in October 1944 and Lahavre, France on November 1, 1944. Soon after, the 99th Division was attacked by the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge, where they suffered many casualties from the spearhead of the German offensive.

Al and twelve other soldiers were wounded, March 13, 1944, two days after crossing a pontoon bridge adjacent to the Remagen Bridge and establishing a communications center on the river bank, by German aircraft.

While recovering from his wounds, Al volunteered for the 1st Division, in order to get a 30-day pass, and was training with them when the war ended. Al was then transferred to Fort Meade, Maryland, and discharged from the Army on December 12, 1945.

Al returned to Baltimore, worked in his family business, got married, and had one daughter.