“…It will quickly bring to an end the fighting between the United Nations forces and the Communist armies. For this nation the cost of repelling aggression has been high. In thousands of homes it has been incalculable. It has been paid in terms of tragedy…”—President Dwight D. Eisenhower, July 26, 1953
It was seventy-two years ago that a truce was finally agreed upon to stop the terrible fighting of the Korean War. Eisenhower presented these words to the 1.789 million veterans who fought in this war, five years after the Germans and Japanese surrendered to the Allied forces. In 1949, the Cold War intensified with the Communist victory over the Nationalists in China.
At home, many World War II veterans were raising families and purchasing homes, while a younger generation of Americans was being “baptized by fire.” Rocky Point resident Bruce Arthur Gordon was born on October 9, 1931, and grew up in Baldwin. During the Great Depression, Bruce recalled farms in Roosevelt, the sparse living conditions, Saturday afternoon movies, and watching “Eyes and Ears of the World” newsreels during World War II. Bruce worked as a golf caddy at the Millburne Country Club in Baldwin, using his earnings to buy his own clothing and help support his household.
During World War II, Bruce’s father served as an air warden to help protect Baldwin from possible German air raids. Although Germany was thousands of miles from Long Island, enemy U-boats operated off the South Shore. The elder Gordon ensured residents followed nighttime blackout regulations and assisted in firefighting efforts. As a teenager, Bruce vividly recalled the sacrifices made by many townspeople who fought overseas.
In 1949, Bruce graduated from Baldwin High School and traveled to Patchogue to work with his uncle delivering propane, installing hot water heaters, and oil burners. He also worked at a mechanic’s garage performing basic repairs and pumping gas. With friends, he played basketball and baseball. During the height of the war, Bruce was drafted into the United States Army on June 6, 1952—eight years after the Normandy landings. Smiling as he recalled the wording from “Uncle Sam,” the notice stated, “Greetings, Friends and Neighbors.” He was directed to report to an American Legion Post in Freeport, then sent to New York City for his physical. Bruce trained at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and Fort Story for amphibious training.
Ordered to ship out of Seattle, Washington, Bruce endured a long voyage across the Pacific to Japan aboard the USS C.C. Ballou, launched in 1945 to transport troops to Korea. The trip took ten days, with soldiers sleeping in tight quarters before arriving in Yokohama and briefly staying at Camp Drake.
By late 1952, Bruce was transferred to Pusan, South Korea, a vital American base that nearly fell during the early days of the war. Refugees flooded into the city, which later suffered a devastating fire. Though the “Pusan Perimeter” nearly collapsed, it became a symbol of American and United Nations resilience.
Bruce supported forward-operating soldiers by hauling supplies and ammunition, maintaining vehicles, and operating a wrecker to recover disabled trucks. Living in steel Quonset huts heated by kerosene stoves, soldiers slept on canvas cots in brutal cold. Bruce worked twelve-hour shifts, driving through rocky terrain, mountains, and red mud he described as “like grease.”
Throughout the war, front lines shifted dramatically, from early North Korean advances to General Douglas MacArthur’s push toward the Yalu River. On October 19, 1950, hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops crossed into the conflict, forcing a retreat. After winning the 1952 election, Eisenhower visited Korea and concluded that containment, combined with negotiation, was the best course. Seven months after his inauguration, an armistice was signed along the 38th Parallel, where the demilitarized zone remains today.
Bruce remained in Korea after the ceasefire, delivering materials and helping towns rebuild. In 1954, Corporal Gordon returned home and was discharged from service.
For most of his life, Bruce served as head custodian for the Baldwin School District, maintaining buildings and grounds while also working as a welder and plumber. He later purchased a home in Rocky Point, helped raise four stepchildren, and at 94 years old still rides a stationary bike to stay fit. Close friend Danielle LaRosa said, “Bruce is nothing short of a hero, role model, and incredible individual. Through his service and his life, he has shown unconditional love, humor, kindness, and compassion.”