Stanley Maybruck

Prepared by the Witnesses of War team

Stanley Maybruck was born in 1925 in Columbus, Ohio, and grew up in a Jewish household. He studied pre-dentistry at Ohio State University before being drafted into the United States Army on 10 August 1943, aged eighteen. He received medical training at Camp Barkeley, Texas, followed by dental technician training in San Francisco.

Sent overseas, Maybruck served as a combat medic with the 4th Infantry Division in Normandy. His duties included treating wounded soldiers under fire and preparing them for evacuation. On 10 August 1944, near Mortain, France, he was shot in the back while bandaging another soldier. The bullet passed through his upper body, leaving his right arm paralyzed. He administered morphine to himself before being evacuated several hours later.

After hospitalization in France, England and the United States, he received a medical discharge on 10 August 1945. Recovery continued for years. Throughout his service, he treasured a siddur—a Jewish prayer book—which survived being lost and recovered several times. After the war, his bride carried that same prayer book down the aisle at their wedding. Together, they raised three daughters.