81 Years of Marriage, Separated Briefly by World War II

Photo By Elizabeth Fraser | Joe Landry (left), a 776th AAA Battalion WWII veteran of the Battle of the Bulge; Darrell Bush (center), 98, a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and a WWII veteran of the Battle of the Bulge; and others render honors during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Battle of the Bulge monument in Section 46, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Jan. 25, 2023. The ceremony commemorated the ending of the Battle of the Bulge on this date in 1945. The Battle of the Bulge, described by Winston Churchill as "undoubtedly the greatest American battle" of World War II, took place in the Ardennes Forest region of Belgium and Luxembourg from December 16, 1944, to January 25, 1945. The last major German counteroffensive on the Western Front, it ended in victory for Allied forces under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower — but at great cost. Soldiers fought in brutal winter conditions, and the U.S. Army lost approximately 19,000 men (and suffered some 75,000 total casualties) in what became the United States' deadliest single World War II battle. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)  

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

06.04.2025

Courtesy Story

Arlington National Cemetery   

Darrell and Dorothy Bush went everywhere together, usually holding hands. The two were familiar faces at Arlington National Cemetery, attending yearly Battle of the Bulge ceremonies, at which Darrell would wear his World War II veteran’s cap and a jacket replete with medals. In 2021, he spoke with CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell in the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater and told her about his war experiences.

Darrell was only 18, and Dorothy 17, when they married in 1943—days after Darrell had reported for his Army physical. He later shipped to Europe with the 75th Infantry Division, while she worked as a part-time secretary at Camp Springs Air Base (today’s Joint Base Andrews) in Maryland.

Darrell, to whom everyone referred to as “Bush,” reached France in early December 1944, and his unit headed to the front along the German border. In an interview with a historian, Bush recalled that one day in mid December, he and three of his comrades were seeking shelter from a rainstorm when a truck driver offered to take them someplace dry. He dropped them off in the Belgian village of Bastogne, which was about to be surrounded by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. For a week, Darrell fought alongside the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division. Meanwhile, an Army officer told Dorothy her husband was missing in action. She would not know Darrell’s condition until his letters started arriving after the week-long siege was broken.

Darrell rejoined his unit but was wounded on Jan. 22, 1945, while retrieving a wounded comrade off the battlefield. He had hoisted the man on his back when an enemy bullet tore through his leg. He woke up in a Paris hospital with a view of the Arc de Triomphe. Back home, Dorothy received a Purple Heart from the Army—and the bullet they pulled out of her husband. She did not know if he was dead or alive until she again started receiving letters from him.

Darrell recovered and completed his service by crossing the Rhine River and, later, carrying emaciated inmates out of the infamous Dachau concentration camp. He remained in Europe after Germany surrendered and even marched in Gen. George S. Patton’s funeral procession on Dec. 24, 1945.

After three years drawn apart by the war, Darrell and Dorothy began their married lives together. Darrell accepted a position with the energy company Pepco. Dorothy left her job after the war and in 1947, she gave birth to their daughter, Linda Anne.

The Bushes returned to Arlington National Cemetery one last time, to be buried together on June 5, 2025—after more than 81 years of marriage. Darrell passed away on Oct. 22, 2024 and Dorothy followed him four months later, when she passed on Feb. 3, 2025. More than 100 family and friends came to wish them a final farewell. Funeral attendees included representatives from the embassies of Belgium and Luxemburg, who placed wreaths near their two caskets.

At the service, Commanding General of the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, Maj. Gen. Trevor Bredenkamp, read a statement from the Army chief of staff. “The Bushes faced hardship and endured, never seeking recognition; only the fulfillment of their duty,” Bredenkamp said. “In reflecting on Darrell’s legacy, let us not forget the only girl he did love. Through her strength, he found the confidence to serve his country, his family and his faith.”

After the service, the Bushes’ grandson, Ben Ryerson, spoke about their loving bond. “Nobody ever thought of them apart,” he said. “It was always Bush and Dorothy,” Ryerson explained. As Darrell got older and his health started to fail, he expressed his desire to be buried at Arlington. “He wanted to be here, and she just wanted to be with him.”

• Date Taken: 06.04.2025
• Date Posted: 06.18.2025 10:21
• Story ID: 500963
• Location: ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US
• Hometown: ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US
• Hometown: TEMPLE HILLS, MARYLAND, US