When Pvt. William Gruber finally came home to Montana Saturday, nearly 75 years after dying in a World War II Japanese prisoner of war camp, his return was greeted with respect and solemnity by hundreds.
A mass at the Helena cathedral was heavily attended. As the lengthy motorcade, accompanied by the Patriot Guard Riders of Montana on motorcycles, made its way south about forty miles, citizens gathered on every overpass and along the side of the road to pay their respects. Firefighters from the Montana City, Clancy and Jefferson City volunteer fire departments each gathered along Interstate 15 in their area.
In some places, community members placed an American flag on the interstate overpasses and stood in a show of respect. The story of the struggle to get the remains returned had played out over the last two years in the Monitor, ending with the joyous news the family had awaited for decades. Gruber’s tale included surviving the Bataan Death March and defying Japanese orders while a prisoner to repair their broken-down trucks.
At Clancy, where Gruber is still a common name, firefighters routinely answer calls from a firehouse named in honor of a long-time firefighter who shared not only a last name but also a first name with his relative, the returning soldier. Fellow firefighters there showed respects to both William Grubers.
At Jefferson City, firefighters lined the interstate to greet the procession. Fire Chief Bud Siderits said, “This was an honor for us in Jefferson City to be involved in our organization or in-person to pay respect to one who served his country to the fullest.” One of the department’s newest firefighters, 18-year-old Levi Vossler, is a great-great-nephew of Pvt. Gruber.
A part of the department for two months, Vossler joined his fellow firefighters in standing with flags and saluting the passing procession. When the procession reached Boulder, they drove down a Main Street lined with American flags and POW-MIA flags. At the church and cemetery in the Boulder Valley, Pvt. Gruber’s final resting place, American flags lined the drive. In the cemetery, representatives of the Boulder American Legion post were joined by other veterans in honoring the fallen soldier.
An honor flight passed overhead to mark the occasion. The Lewis & Clark Veterans Council presented a rifle salute, shooting three times into the air. Also on hand was a documentary filmmaker, attracted from California after reading the Monitor coverage. While no one from William Gruber’s family was on hand to witness his death in the Philippines so many years ago, plenty of family members and supporters were on hand to witness his return and express thanks for his efforts on behalf of “a grateful nation.”
