A Member of the Greatest Generation

Last Patrol volunteers in Philadelphia honored WWII Veteran, Army Medic Jacob "Jake" Ruser, who is in hospice care. Our team presented with several patriotic gifts from our non-profit.

Jake was born in December 1924 in Philadelphia and later moved to Conshohocken, PA. After high school, he was drafted into the Army on August 18, 1943, completing basic and medical training at Camp Grant, Illinois. Jake trained in advanced medical procedures at a CCC Camp in Pennsylvania. On March 21, 1944, he traveled to Scotland and then to Bristol, England, joining the 12th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division. His unit participated in the D-Day operations, and on June 15, they established the first medical evacuation hospital on Utah Beach, though it operated briefly.

Jake and his unit fought fiercely in World War II, engaging in key battles from Cherbourg to Germany. As a medic, he faced heavy casualties during the Hürtgen Forest Campaign, notably when he and his team cared for twenty wounded soldiers while surrounded by enemy forces, using a damaged Red Cross flag for protection. He participated in a brief truce to recover fallen soldiers and faced relentless demands during the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he assisted 500 American litter patients back to the U.S. He was honorably discharged on August 17, 1945, receiving multiple medals for his valor and service.

Following the war, Jake obtained his degree in accounting and initially worked for a school system before moving on to an automobile company. He subsequently joined the equipment division at IBM, later transitioning to the U.S. government service in the Signals Division, where he ultimately retired as a Systems Programmer. In 1969, he married his IBM colleague, Claire, and together they had two children, a son and a daughter.

Learn more about Jake's story here: WWII Veteran Remembers a Deadly Battle: The Battle of Hurtgen Forest | Article | The United States Army