Federal, state and local officials, civilian and military, participated in colorful ceremonies here, when the United States Army formally dedicated a new, half-million-dollar army training center in memory of a Jewish hero, the late Lt. Raymond Zussman.
Lt. Zussman, killed in action during World War II, was one of the few war heroes to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. In addition, he had been the recipient, during his life as well as posthumously, of at least 11 other United States military decorations and medals.
According to the Army’s official citation, Lt. Zussman distinguished himself particularly in one action in France when, “under his heroic and inspiring leadership, 18 enemy soldiers were killed and 92 captured. ” For this “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above the call of duty, ” the Army stated, he received the Medal of Honor. He lived through this action, but lost his life under fire later.
One of the principal participants in the ceremonies was Wilbur Brucker, former Governor of Michigan and former Secretary of the Army. Another was Maj. Gen. Jonathan Seaman, Army Corps commander. The Jewish War Veterans presented an American flag to the new Zussman U.S. Army Training Center. There is a JWV post here named in memory of the hero.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
