With pride and gratitude, the remains of World War II U.S. Army Pfc. Robert Bryant were buried with military funeral honors Saturday at Park Hill Cemetery in Bloomington.
Bryant was killed in action while searching for wounded rangers from his unit in Italy in September 1943.
Eight-one years to the day, Bryant’s family received a call they describe as miraculous.
“I was in high school in the '60s and it’s around the time I stopped believing we’d ever get him home,” said Bryant’s nephew, Jim Bryant of Virginia, his voice breaking describing the moment he received the news. “It was Sept. 23, 2024, and they called to advise me that he’d been positively identified and his remains were in Omaha.”
With the help of historical records, archaeological findings, and DNA, the military helped the Bryant family fulfill a promise to the family matriarch.
“My grandmother made us promise, ‘Bring sonny-boy home,’ it’s what she would say,” said Deanna Wheat, a Bloomington resident and Bryant’s niece. She said bringing "Uncle Bob" home brought closure to the family,
“They offered to bury him in Arlington [National Cemetery], but we said no. She’d made us promise to bring him home.”
Jim Bryant wants families of missing soldiers to know the government never gave up trying to locate the lost.
“Stay the course. Hopefully, they’ll be able to do it," he said. "Like, with Robert, all that’s left was a jaw and some teeth after all these years. The government doesn’t give up.” His DNA was not helpful in identifying his uncle. “It was the DNA of the children of my grandmother’s sister that helped identify the remains. We knew nothing about them.”
When Margie Dillow heard the 21 Gun Salute and the bugle on Saturday, she was flooded with memories of her father’s funeral. Harold Dean Bryant, Robert Bryant’s brother, was buried at Park Hill in 1966.
“He’s being buried with my dad. We remembered being kids there at his funeral. We’re just proud he’s being buried with dad,” she said.
Dillow recalled hearing Bryant was ornery. “He liked to get in fights, so he was good for a ranger because of that. My mother grew up by my dad and his brothers, and said he was a nice man. He was a hero,” she said.
Dozens of members of the Rolling Thunder participated in Bryant’s funeral. Rolling Thunder is a national organization with about 90 chapters in the U.S., whose primary purpose, said Rolling Thunder Chapter One Board Director David Skinner, is to bring missing soldiers home.
“We have 80,000 POWs that are still missing. So, those are soldiers that have not been returned home, and that’s our mission, to get every one of those soldiers home,” Skinner said. “You figure that’s about every citizen in the [city] of Bloomington [population 78,600]. If you walked down the road, just picture every person that you see is a POW/MIA.”
The logistics of a dignified transport of this magnitude involves multi-organizational collaboration, including the Defense Department and other parts of the government, Skinner said.
“This is our first one in Bloomington, and the entire town has been outstanding. The police and fire department, the mayor, have been outstanding to work with. I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Skinner, who estimated 20 municipalities, Illinois State Police, multiple fire departments “and unbelievable amounts of police districts,” were involved.
For the Rolling Thunder volunteer motorcyclists, it’s an honor to celebrate Bryant’s place in Ranger history.
“Pfc. Bryant was one of the first Army Rangers. It’s called 'Darby’s Rangers' named after Brigadier General William Orlando Darby. They were the first Army Rangers that were assigned and assembled in World War II, and every U.S. Ranger traces their roots back to this unit,” said Skinner.
He emphasized the context surround Bryant’s death, saying “He was on a four-man-squad searching for rangers killed in battle, he himself gave up his life in order to search for his fellow soldiers.”
The funeral service also was attended by the 75th Ranger Regiment.
During the “Once an Eagle” ceremony officiated by the rangers, the officer in charge calls the rangers to post for roll call. One by one, the names of the present rangers are called, they respond with “HERE.” Then, the name of deceased Ranger Robert Bryant is called three times. “Ranger Robert Bryant?” No response. “Ranger Robert Bryant?” No response. “Ranger Robert Bryant?,” No response.
At last, a ranger in formation responded, “Sir, Ranger Robert Bryant who was 'Once an Eagle' is now reporting as a U.S. Army Ranger to a much higher authority. May God bless him.”
The officer in charge ordered a hand salute and order arms, then he ended, “Yes, May God bless him. You are dismissed.”
