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BILL WAS BORN in Geneva, New York on 20 March 1924, the only child of William J. and Lucy Glunz, who came to Geneva from Argentina. In 1942 Bill graduated from Geneva High School, where he had established himself as a leader and outstanding student. He served as president of the student council, was a member of the National Honor Society and a thespian with starring roles. He had grown up multilingual, fluent in German and Spanish, so he was active in the school’s Language Club.</p>
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Bill and I arrived at West Point on 18 July 1942, members of the ‘second echelon’ of new cadets, and were assigned to the same company for Beast Barracks. Then we spent the next three years in Company C-1. Bill carried on a constant struggle with academics, except for languages. Yet he was always available to tutor those needing help in Spanish and German, and he found time to participate in the Weight Lifting and Ski Clubs.</p>
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Alter graduation, Bill went to Fort Benning with the Infantry. Following the special Infantry School course, we were fellow passengers on the Lurline, en route to the Philippines and a “repple depple” near Del Carmen in Pampangas. There, we were assigned to the 25th Infantry Division, headquartered in Nagoya, Honshu, Japan. Bill was further assigned to the 35th Infantry Regiment near Otsu.</p>
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Upon completion of his occupation duty, he returned to the U.S. in early 1948 for assignment to the 38th Infantry at Fort Carson, Colorado, and then to the 4th Infantry, Fort Lewis, Washington. Bill studied Russian at the Army Language School in 1949-50, following which he was assigned as senior translator/interpreter at GHQ in Tokyo.</p>
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Shortly after Bill’s arrival in Tokyo, North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950. US forces were sent to Korea, and Bill volunteered for combat duty there. He was assigned to the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division during its withdrawal from the Yalu (well-described in the S.L.A. Marshall book. The River and the Gauntlet). The 9th Infantry was in the midst of the heaviest fighting, especially in the final seven miles. During that period, Bill’s company was heavily engaged in close combat with Chinese forces on several occasions. He was reported missing in action (MIA) on 26 November 1950 and officially declared dead on 31 December 1953.</p>
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We knew Bill as an outgoing, participating leader with a keen sense of humor. He was a team player, a fine soldier, a gentle man and a good friend.</p>
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<em>A classmate</em></p>