George Bachman was born in Williamston, Michigan, in January 1919. He was drafted into the military in January 1941 at the age of 22 and was assigned to the 21st Field Artillery Battalion, 5th Division, with which he served until the end of World War II.
Bachman deployed to Iceland in April 1942, serving in that country for a year and a half. He then served in the British Isles, Northern Ireland and in several locations in France, including Normandy, Saint Lo, Metz and Carentan. During his service, he was a forward observer, a role in which he used a “pair of fuel glasses, a telescope, radio and a phone” to monitor and counter enemy movements.
Bachman’s service in the Battle of the Bulge, which spanned from December 1944 to January 1945, was particularly difficult. He saw combat in Strasbourg, France, and Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
Beyond encountering enemy opposition, Bachman and his unit suffered from hostile weather, including significant amounts of snow and freezing temperatures that often dropped 20 degrees below zero. Bachman described Christmas day of 1944 as perhaps the worst day of his war experience, encountering many attacks from enemy shells and accidental friendly fire from another American unit.
By the end of the war, Bachman had served in Czechoslovakia and had attained the rank of technician fifth grade. Two days prior to returning home to the U.S., he was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service during an earlier battle in northern France. He remained in the military until 1972, retiring after a 30-year career
In his civilian life, he worked for General Motors in Lansing, Michigan. He stayed busy in “retirement,” taking part in a documentary: “The War: Michigan Voices.” He also became mayor of his hometown, Williamston, and was a member of its city council. And he was a volunteer firefighter and a member of several military organizations, including his local Veterans of Foreign Wars branch and the American Legion.
In his later years, Bachman had “been back to [the] battlefields” to visit the areas in which he had seen action. On one occasion, he received medals for his service in northern France from a French mayor as well as a medal for his service in Luxembourg.
In his personal life, Bachman loved to travel and read military history. He was married to his wife, Norma, for 59 years, and the couple raised one son, Mark; a granddaughter, Sara; and great-grandchildren, Zoe and George.
Bachman died in January 2009 at the age of 90.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
Writer: Khaled Maalouf
Editors: Marisa Bunton,
Researchers: Gabriella Begley
Graphic Designer: Charles Hundley
Topics in this story
Link Disclaimer
This page includes links to other websites outside our control and jurisdiction. VA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of non-VA Web sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy or terms and conditions of those sites to fully understand what information is collected and how it is used.
Statement of Endorsement
Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
More Stories
In honor of National Park Service's National Park Week, this week's Honoring Veterans spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Michael Trevino, who today works as a facility manager at Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Navy Veteran Ken Mattingly, who served as a pilot during the 1950s and later became an astronaut during the Apollo missions.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Air Force Veteran Gavino Cavazos, who served from 1949 to 1973 during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Edit for Albert O. Castro Jr.
** (27) years.
Panama Canal Zone Veterans are crying out for help, but no one is listening. Please see: agentorangeinpanama.com
Please see: Long Term Environmental Impacts of Pesticides…
The problems that are occurring is that Panama Canal Zone Veterans have been denied compensation and benefits in accordance to cfr38.
There has only been (4) Panama Canal Zone Veterans who have been approved compensation and benefits for their injuries imposed by service connected direct exposures to Herbicides, Pesticides and Forever Chemicals that were used in Panama since the 50’s. I was stationed (25) months at Fort Davis, 193rd. 4th of the 10th Infantry Brigade. I was in A Company, 4th squad 1st Platoon. My tour at Fort Davis was in January of 1978 until February 1980. My Platoon Sergeants’s name was Sergeant Johnson. My Company Commanders name was Captain Matteson. In fact, my First Sergeant’s name was First Sergeant Lewis. We were all contaminated. My Service Connected Direct Exposure occurred my first (20) days in country at Fort Sherman during a training exercise with A Company. I am still sick to this day, and I take medications just to urinate and for the pain in my body etc.. Many of my friends are very sick and we are dying without HONOR ! Please add Panama to the Pact Act.. I have been a school teacher now for (27) days and my body is now very tired with bilateral knee replacements because based on research Dioxins, eat away at your tendons and ligaments and bones.
In his later year, Bachman had “been back to [the] battlefields” to visit the areas in which he had seen action.
“Year” should be plural, years.
and the couple raise one son, Mark;
“raise” should be raised.
There are many unsung
Hero’s that their stories need to be told and I for one appreciate the service of those that have gone before me.