WEBVTT

00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:09.019
All across America and around the world, this

00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:15.140
is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. Good

00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:18.600
day. I'm Jim Fossone. I'm the Officer of the

00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:20.699
Deck today here on Veterans Radio and thanks

00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:23.460
for joining us. We've got some interesting stories

00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:25.660
for you. We always want to remind you, you can

00:00:25.660 --> 00:00:28.739
find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook

00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:32.420
site or at the web, veteransradio .org. Where

00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.240
we're on the web 24 -7, you can find a lot of

00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:38.299
our podcasts there as well. We post new ones

00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.500
every Tuesday, so you can get a new story, a

00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:45.219
new interview, something you didn't know before

00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:49.469
by going to veteransradio .org. Before we get

00:00:49.469 --> 00:00:52.250
started, we want to thank our sponsors. First

00:00:52.250 --> 00:00:55.250
up, we want to thank National Veteran Business

00:00:55.250 --> 00:01:01.049
Development Council, nvbdc .org. It was established

00:01:01.049 --> 00:01:04.370
to certify both service -disabled and veteran

00:01:04.370 --> 00:01:06.650
-owned businesses. You'll find out how they can

00:01:06.650 --> 00:01:12.310
help your business by going to nvbdc .org. We

00:01:12.310 --> 00:01:15.840
want to thank Legal Help for Veterans. Legal

00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:18.939
Help for Veterans fights for veterans disability

00:01:18.939 --> 00:01:22.060
rights all across the nation. You can reach them

00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:30.500
at 800 -693 -4800 or on the web at legalhelpforveterans

00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:36.180
.com. And finally, PuroClean. PuroClean is the

00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:38.760
paramedics of property damage. It provides water

00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:42.019
damage remediation, flood water removal, fire

00:01:42.019 --> 00:01:45.840
and smoke damage remediation, mold removal, biohazard

00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:50.879
cleanup. It also has a focus on veteran franchisees.

00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:54.340
You can learn more about them by going to PuroClean

00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:57.700
.com. Welcome back everybody for another deep

00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:01.319
dive. And today we are going to look at the life

00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:06.200
of Cecil H. Bolton. Okay. This guy led a seriously

00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.719
double life. So our sources today tell a story

00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:12.960
about a man who was both a really, really great

00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:17.819
boxer and a total war hero. What made this guy

00:02:17.819 --> 00:02:20.180
want to be so good at such different things?

00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:22.219
That's what we are here to figure out today.

00:02:22.460 --> 00:02:25.900
Right, yeah, that is a good question. Like most

00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:28.740
of us, we tend to think of boxing as individual

00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:32.490
strength. and agility and speed. But war often

00:02:32.490 --> 00:02:35.830
calls for a whole team to work together and strategy

00:02:35.830 --> 00:02:39.229
and stuff like that. So how did both of these

00:02:39.229 --> 00:02:41.469
experiences come together to form the life of

00:02:41.469 --> 00:02:44.469
Cecil Bolton? It's interesting how you wouldn't

00:02:44.469 --> 00:02:46.430
really think that those two things would go together.

00:02:46.490 --> 00:02:48.889
Right. But maybe they do. Yeah, maybe. So let's

00:02:48.889 --> 00:02:51.629
see. OK, so Cecil H. Bolton was born in Crawfordville,

00:02:51.629 --> 00:02:55.330
Florida, way back in 1908. Wow. Yeah. And his

00:02:55.330 --> 00:02:57.030
family, they ended up settling in Huntsville,

00:02:57.069 --> 00:03:00.300
Alabama sometime in the late 19... No, here's

00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:02.460
the thing. You ready for this? Yeah. Before the

00:03:02.460 --> 00:03:06.439
war, Bolton was a boxer. Oh, really? Yeah, and

00:03:06.439 --> 00:03:09.039
they called him Bushy Bolton. Bushy Bolton. I

00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:11.800
love it. I know, right? That's great. And get

00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.840
this, he wasn't messing around. Oh. In 1928,

00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:22.379
he had 37 fights. What? 37. Wow. That's a lot.

00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:24.340
That's a lot of fight. That's a lot of punches.

00:03:24.460 --> 00:03:26.819
Yeah. And he was also a referee, which I think

00:03:26.819 --> 00:03:29.110
is really cool. Yeah, absolutely. He knew the

00:03:29.110 --> 00:03:31.569
boxing world like inside and out. It really sounds

00:03:31.569 --> 00:03:33.509
like he was, you know, at the heart of it all.

00:03:33.650 --> 00:03:36.469
Yeah. He was a real local sports star. Yeah.

00:03:36.689 --> 00:03:40.469
His boxing career lasted 16 years. Wow. Which

00:03:40.469 --> 00:03:43.009
is amazing. And he was like a hometown hero in

00:03:43.009 --> 00:03:44.870
Huntsville. Yeah. Well, makes you think maybe

00:03:44.870 --> 00:03:48.270
all those years he spent in the ring, you know,

00:03:48.389 --> 00:03:50.349
facing different opponents all the time. Yeah.

00:03:50.469 --> 00:03:52.110
Maybe that's where he got his mental toughness

00:03:52.110 --> 00:03:54.509
from. Right. You know, like maybe that's where

00:03:54.509 --> 00:03:56.990
he learned to be so resilient. Yeah, maybe that's

00:03:56.990 --> 00:03:58.870
how he was able to do all the crazy stuff he

00:03:58.870 --> 00:04:00.770
did on the battlefield later on. Right, like

00:04:00.770 --> 00:04:03.530
a different type of training. Yeah, it's not

00:04:03.530 --> 00:04:06.729
something you'd usually connect boxing and, you

00:04:06.729 --> 00:04:09.229
know, being a war hero. Right. But you're right,

00:04:09.349 --> 00:04:11.409
maybe all those years boxing really did get him

00:04:11.409 --> 00:04:13.909
ready to be courageous. And, you know, Bolton

00:04:13.909 --> 00:04:16.850
was also a really smart businessman. Oh, yeah.

00:04:17.100 --> 00:04:20.220
He owned a nightclub, even. And he managed some

00:04:20.220 --> 00:04:22.620
other boxers. He was a big part of the Huntsville

00:04:22.620 --> 00:04:25.639
community. So not just a tough guy, but a real

00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:28.439
leader, too. Exactly. And I bet all that experience

00:04:28.439 --> 00:04:30.540
helped him become a great leader in the army

00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:33.519
later on. Yeah, you're right. Because leading

00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:35.839
a bunch of boxers and running a business, you

00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:38.420
have to inspire people and come up with plans

00:04:38.420 --> 00:04:40.639
and make tough decisions. For sure. And those

00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:42.360
are all things that are important in war, too.

00:04:42.459 --> 00:04:45.959
Yeah. OK, so we've got Bushy Bolton. the hometown

00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:49.100
boxing hero, a successful businessman, and a

00:04:49.100 --> 00:04:53.339
leader in Huntsville. Then 1942 comes along and

00:04:53.339 --> 00:04:56.220
everything changes. World War II. Yep, and at

00:04:56.220 --> 00:04:59.339
33 years old, Bolton gets drafted into the army.

00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:01.959
Wow, can you imagine going from boxing rings

00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:06.160
and night clubs to boot camp? That is a huge

00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:09.500
change. Yeah. How do you think he dealt with

00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:11.920
that? It must have been really hard. Total. But

00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:14.949
I bet even though everything was different, Something's

00:05:14.949 --> 00:05:17.910
probably stayed the same. Like what? Well, in

00:05:17.910 --> 00:05:22.029
boxing and war, there's one main goal. To win.

00:05:22.170 --> 00:05:25.029
To win, that's it. OK. And to do that, you need

00:05:25.029 --> 00:05:27.970
discipline and focus. Yeah. And you have to push

00:05:27.970 --> 00:05:30.209
yourself beyond your limits. Totally. And those

00:05:30.209 --> 00:05:33.089
are all things Bolton learned from boxing. Yeah.

00:05:33.310 --> 00:05:35.370
So maybe those years in the ring gave him, like,

00:05:35.709 --> 00:05:38.889
a mental model. Uh -huh. for dealing with challenges.

00:05:38.949 --> 00:05:41.129
Yeah, even if they're completely different challenges.

00:05:41.149 --> 00:05:43.910
Exactly. Like war instead of boxing. And don't

00:05:43.910 --> 00:05:46.470
forget about his leadership skills. Oh, right.

00:05:46.670 --> 00:05:49.389
From managing those boxers and running that nightclub.

00:05:49.410 --> 00:05:52.009
Yeah. I bet that helped him adjust to leading

00:05:52.009 --> 00:05:54.470
soldiers. Yeah, because in the army, it's not

00:05:54.470 --> 00:05:56.769
just about you anymore. You're part of a team

00:05:56.769 --> 00:05:58.889
and you're responsible for other people. Exactly.

00:05:59.370 --> 00:06:01.949
So Bolton goes through basic training, then he

00:06:01.949 --> 00:06:03.750
does really well at officer candidate school

00:06:03.750 --> 00:06:06.300
and he becomes a second lieutenant. Okay. And

00:06:06.300 --> 00:06:09.040
then they assign them as a weapons platoon leader

00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:13.959
in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 413th Infantry Regiment,

00:06:14.259 --> 00:06:17.779
104th Infantry Division. Wow, that's a lot. It

00:06:17.779 --> 00:06:20.360
is, isn't it? So for someone like me who doesn't

00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:22.879
know anything about the military, what does all

00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:25.360
that even mean? So basically, a weapons platoon

00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:28.079
is like a special unit within a bigger company.

00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:30.319
Okay. And they're the ones with the big guns,

00:06:30.420 --> 00:06:33.560
like machine guns and mortars. Oh, wow. So in

00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:35.480
Bolton's case, that meant He was right there

00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:37.399
on the front lines, leading his men into battle.

00:06:37.500 --> 00:06:40.779
Oh, wow. Yeah, the 104th Infantry Division, get

00:06:40.779 --> 00:06:43.759
this, they had a nickname. What was it? The Timberwolves.

00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:46.620
Oh, that's cool. Yeah, I know, right? Those nicknames

00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:49.040
are kind of like taking that team spirit from

00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:51.220
boxing and bringing it to the battlefield. Right.

00:06:51.259 --> 00:06:53.240
It's all about having that feeling of being a

00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:55.920
part of something bigger. So Bolton, our boxer,

00:06:56.180 --> 00:06:58.540
is now Lieutenant Bolton leading a weapons platoon

00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:00.879
called the Timberwolves. Yep. What happens next?

00:07:01.279 --> 00:07:04.620
Well, August 27th, 1944, the Timberwolves sail

00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:07.060
off to Europe. They arrive in France on September

00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:10.680
7th. OK. And by October 23rd, they're fighting

00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:13.279
in Voesfelsel, Belgium. So things move pretty

00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:15.759
quickly. Very quickly. And I bet the closer they

00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:17.339
got to the fighting, the more intense things

00:07:17.339 --> 00:07:19.360
got. I'm sure it was pretty stressful. Yeah.

00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:22.259
So that brings us to a really important part

00:07:22.259 --> 00:07:25.120
of Bolton's story. Yes, it does. November 2,

00:07:25.459 --> 00:07:29.750
1944. OK. The Timberwolves had just crossed the

00:07:29.750 --> 00:07:32.670
Mark River in the Netherlands, and as soon as

00:07:32.670 --> 00:07:35.470
they do, they get hit with all this enemy fire.

00:07:35.490 --> 00:07:38.670
Oh wow. Yeah, it was bad. Oh no, it was really

00:07:38.670 --> 00:07:40.870
bad. So they're like trapped and getting shot

00:07:40.870 --> 00:07:42.990
at from all sides? Yeah, it was a tough spot.

00:07:43.370 --> 00:07:45.490
Two German machine guns had them totally pinned

00:07:45.490 --> 00:07:48.389
down. Oh wow. And their mortars weren't doing

00:07:48.389 --> 00:07:49.910
any good because they couldn't see where the

00:07:49.910 --> 00:07:51.810
Germans were. Okay. So people were getting hurt.

00:07:52.089 --> 00:07:53.750
Man, I can't even imagine what that must have

00:07:53.750 --> 00:07:55.870
been like. It's hard to picture, isn't it, all

00:07:55.870 --> 00:07:58.709
that chaos and the fear and the noise? Yeah,

00:07:58.769 --> 00:08:01.670
definitely. And to make things even worse, Bolton

00:08:01.670 --> 00:08:04.610
was already hurt. What? Yeah, he had shrapnel

00:08:04.610 --> 00:08:08.509
in both legs, a bullet in his shoulder. Oh my

00:08:08.509 --> 00:08:11.069
god. Another one that just grazed his mouth.

00:08:12.009 --> 00:08:13.970
And he'd even been knocked unconscious for a

00:08:13.970 --> 00:08:16.430
bit. Seriously? You think that would be enough

00:08:16.430 --> 00:08:19.870
to make anyone give up? Yeah, you'd think. Right.

00:08:20.310 --> 00:08:21.990
But not Bolton. Remember we were talking about

00:08:21.990 --> 00:08:23.829
how tough he was from all that boxing? Right.

00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:26.079
Yeah. What really came in handy here, even though

00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:27.959
he was all messed up. His first thought was for

00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:31.000
his men. So like a true leader. Yeah. He knew

00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.100
they were stuck and needed to get out of there.

00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:35.519
So what'd he do? He crawled over to his guys

00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:39.059
and asked for volunteers. and get this, he waded

00:08:39.059 --> 00:08:42.100
into this freezing cold water that was up to

00:08:42.100 --> 00:08:44.559
his chest to try to take out those machine guns

00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:46.700
himself. Wow, he was already hurt and he's gonna

00:08:46.700 --> 00:08:49.720
go put himself in even more danger. He was, it's

00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:51.440
pretty amazing when you think about it. He wasn't

00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:53.860
worried about himself at all. Wow. All he cared

00:08:53.860 --> 00:08:56.419
about was getting his men to safety. That's incredible.

00:08:56.419 --> 00:08:59.100
It really is a crazy level of selflessness. Okay,

00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:02.779
so how did he take out the machine guns? We got

00:09:02.779 --> 00:09:06.019
to the first one using grenades. Okay. Took it

00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:08.580
out. and then went back to his bazooka team to

00:09:08.580 --> 00:09:11.320
get the second one. So he's dodging bullets and

00:09:11.320 --> 00:09:13.600
freezing in this water, and he's still going.

00:09:13.740 --> 00:09:16.200
Oh, yeah. And he wasn't done yet. There's more.

00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:18.720
After they took care of the machine guns, Bolton

00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:21.559
realized there was this big 88 -millimeter artillery

00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:24.360
gun that was just hammering the American lines.

00:09:24.539 --> 00:09:28.899
Okay. So he leads his bazooka team over to that

00:09:28.899 --> 00:09:32.179
thing, braving all the enemy fire, and that ice

00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:35.710
-cold water again. Man, this guy is... Unstoppable.

00:09:35.909 --> 00:09:38.990
I know, right? He had such courage and he was

00:09:38.990 --> 00:09:41.190
so strategic about it all, picking out the biggest

00:09:41.190 --> 00:09:43.330
threats and taking them out one by one. Uh -huh.

00:09:43.389 --> 00:09:46.009
And thanks to him and his bazooka team, they

00:09:46.009 --> 00:09:48.070
destroyed that artillery gun, which gave them

00:09:48.070 --> 00:09:50.730
a much better chance of surviving. So he basically

00:09:50.730 --> 00:09:53.970
took out three major enemy positions all by himself.

00:09:54.149 --> 00:09:55.750
Pretty much, yeah. And remember, he was doing

00:09:55.750 --> 00:09:57.889
all this while he was seriously wounded. Right.

00:09:58.029 --> 00:10:00.330
He actually got hit again during all this. Yeah.

00:10:00.409 --> 00:10:03.370
But he refused to get any help. Why? All he cared

00:10:03.370 --> 00:10:05.159
about was his men. He wanted to make sure they

00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:08.639
got out of there safely. Man, that's just crazy.

00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:11.340
And as he told his guys to retreat while he covered

00:10:11.340 --> 00:10:14.259
them, he crawled back to their lines until he

00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:16.620
finally collapsed. I can't even imagine what

00:10:16.620 --> 00:10:18.899
that must have done to him, both physically and

00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:22.220
mentally. I know it's hard to fathom. By November

00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:24.379
7th, the Timberwolves had accomplished their

00:10:24.379 --> 00:10:28.179
mission. Good. But it came at a huge cost. How

00:10:28.179 --> 00:10:32.460
huge? They lost almost 1 ,500 men. 313 killed

00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.460
in action and 103 missing. Oh my god. I know

00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:39.039
it's a lot. Major General Terry De La Mesa Allen

00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:42.100
Senior, their commander, sent each one of his

00:10:42.100 --> 00:10:45.320
men a letter. Oh wow. Congratulating them and

00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:47.080
at the end of each letter he wrote his motto,

00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:49.820
nothing in hell must stop the Timberwolves. Oh

00:10:49.820 --> 00:10:51.899
man that gives me chills. It's pretty powerful

00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:54.769
isn't it? It really shows how tough and determined

00:10:54.769 --> 00:10:57.590
the 104th Infantry Division was, and it shows

00:10:57.590 --> 00:10:59.889
just how much they sacrificed. And what Bolton

00:10:59.889 --> 00:11:02.389
did that day perfectly represents that spirit.

00:11:02.629 --> 00:11:04.929
Absolutely. He was given a silver star for his

00:11:04.929 --> 00:11:07.009
actions, which was later upgraded to the Medal

00:11:07.009 --> 00:11:10.409
of Honor. Yeah. On September 4th, 1945, President

00:11:10.409 --> 00:11:12.649
Truman himself gave him the medal in this big

00:11:12.649 --> 00:11:14.850
ceremony at the White House. Wow. He was one

00:11:14.850 --> 00:11:17.470
of 28 heroes who got medals that day, including

00:11:17.470 --> 00:11:19.789
another guy from Alabama named Paul A. Bolden.

00:11:19.970 --> 00:11:21.669
That must have been an incredible moment for

00:11:21.669 --> 00:11:24.039
him. It must have been to receive that recognition

00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:26.000
after everything he'd been through. And he got

00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:28.460
other medals, too. Yeah. What else did he get?

00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:32.259
Two bronze stars and two purple hearts. Wow.

00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:35.299
So what did the Medal of Honor citation actually

00:11:35.299 --> 00:11:38.159
say about what he did that day? Well, it's a

00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.200
pretty powerful document that really captures

00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:43.940
his bravery and selflessness. I think it's worth

00:11:43.940 --> 00:11:45.940
reading a part of it here. OK, let's hear it.

00:11:46.019 --> 00:11:49.000
It says, as leader of the weapons platoon of

00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:53.899
Company E, 413th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry

00:11:53.899 --> 00:11:57.980
Division on the night of 2 November 1944, 1st

00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:00.480
Lieutenant Bolton fought gallantly in a pitched

00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:02.500
battle which followed the crossing of the Mark

00:12:02.500 --> 00:12:05.259
River in Holland. So it starts by setting the

00:12:05.259 --> 00:12:06.620
scene, you know, the craziness of the battle

00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:09.139
and how hard it was to fight there. Exactly.

00:12:09.220 --> 00:12:11.139
And that talks about how Bolton first tried to

00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:12.879
use the mortars to take out the machine guns,

00:12:12.899 --> 00:12:14.980
but they couldn't see where they were. OK. and

00:12:14.980 --> 00:12:16.919
he kept directing the fire until he got hurt

00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:19.100
so badly that he was knocked out. That's some

00:12:19.100 --> 00:12:21.360
serious determination. It really is. He didn't

00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:23.960
give up even after being wounded. And then the

00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:26.419
citation goes on to describe how he took out

00:12:26.419 --> 00:12:29.259
the machine guns and that 88 millimeter artillery

00:12:29.259 --> 00:12:31.899
piece and talks about how brave he was and how

00:12:31.899 --> 00:12:34.000
he was a great leader and how he was thinking

00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:36.269
strategically the whole time. It really paints

00:12:36.269 --> 00:12:38.570
a picture of what a hero he was, doesn't it?

00:12:38.590 --> 00:12:41.590
It does. And it finishes by saying how he wouldn't

00:12:41.590 --> 00:12:44.129
let anyone help him, and he made sure his men

00:12:44.129 --> 00:12:46.269
retreated while he crawled back. It's such an

00:12:46.269 --> 00:12:48.889
amazing story. It really is a story about sacrificing

00:12:48.889 --> 00:12:51.370
yourself for the people you care about. So what

00:12:51.370 --> 00:12:53.629
happened to Bolton after the war? How do you

00:12:53.629 --> 00:12:55.669
go back to normal life after going through something

00:12:55.669 --> 00:12:57.809
like that? I know. It's hard to imagine going

00:12:57.809 --> 00:13:01.490
back to like everyday life. Yeah. But Bolton,

00:13:01.549 --> 00:13:05.669
he stayed in the army. Oh, really? Yeah, even

00:13:05.669 --> 00:13:08.750
through the Korean War. Wow. He really dedicated

00:13:08.750 --> 00:13:12.250
his life to serving his country. And he ended

00:13:12.250 --> 00:13:14.529
up becoming a colonel before he retired. So from

00:13:14.529 --> 00:13:17.929
boxer to war hero to colonel, that's pretty amazing.

00:13:18.309 --> 00:13:20.309
It is. It shows how he could adapt to anything

00:13:20.309 --> 00:13:22.210
and how committed he was. Yeah, he wasn't just

00:13:22.210 --> 00:13:25.730
one thing. But his story, it doesn't have a happy

00:13:25.730 --> 00:13:28.190
ending, does it? No. Sadly, Cecil Bolton died

00:13:28.190 --> 00:13:30.519
pretty young, actually. Oh. Yeah, he was only

00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:33.559
56. Wow. He passed away at Brooke Army Hospital

00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:37.860
in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, January 22, 1965.

00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:40.220
Man, that's a reminder that even the toughest

00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:43.659
guys, they're still human. They are. So what

00:13:43.659 --> 00:13:45.960
happened after he died? Well, he was buried with

00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:48.960
full military honors at the Fort Sam Houston

00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.620
National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. OK.

00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:54.820
And his wife, Bessie, she was buried there with

00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:57.460
him when she passed away in 1978. That's nice

00:13:57.460 --> 00:13:59.710
that they're together. Yeah. It's a fitting tribute

00:13:59.710 --> 00:14:02.029
to a man who spent his life helping others. Yeah,

00:14:02.029 --> 00:14:04.450
and his legacy it lives on. How so? Well, in

00:14:04.450 --> 00:14:06.830
Panacea, Florida, where he was born, they built

00:14:06.830 --> 00:14:09.269
a monument for him. Oh, wow. Yeah, it's a permanent

00:14:09.269 --> 00:14:11.850
reminder of his journey from that small town

00:14:11.850 --> 00:14:14.070
to the battlefields of Europe and back again.

00:14:14.389 --> 00:14:18.190
So we've gone from Bushy Bolton, this like charismatic

00:14:18.190 --> 00:14:23.210
boxer, to Lieutenant Bolton, the war hero, to

00:14:23.210 --> 00:14:25.710
Colonel Bolton, who served his country his whole

00:14:25.710 --> 00:14:28.480
life. It's quite a story, isn't it? full of twists

00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:30.779
and turns. Yeah, it really is. And I think what

00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:32.580
makes it so interesting is that it challenges

00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:35.200
the way we think. How so? Well, we don't usually

00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:38.340
think of a boxer becoming a war hero, but Bolton's

00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:40.759
life shows us that those two things can actually

00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:43.100
work together. Yeah. It's a reminder that people

00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:45.320
are complicated. Yeah. They have hidden depths

00:14:45.320 --> 00:14:47.559
and they can always surprise us. Exactly. And

00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:49.120
I think there's something we can all learn from

00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:52.759
this. What's that? Bolton's story teaches us

00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:55.879
to look deeper than the surface. to see that

00:14:55.879 --> 00:14:58.460
courage and leadership can pop up in unexpected

00:14:58.460 --> 00:15:01.600
places. Yeah, I like that. His life shows us

00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:04.639
the power of never giving up and putting others

00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:07.419
first. And how strong the human spirit can be.

00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:10.840
Yeah, it's a really inspiring story. I think

00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:13.159
we've done a good job of exploring the life of

00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:15.899
Cecil H. Bolton. I think so too. From boxing

00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:20.259
to war, his story is all about bravery, determination,

00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:23.120
and always being there for the people around

00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:26.139
him. It reminds us that heroes are everywhere,

00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:29.460
even in places we might not expect. So keep your

00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:32.019
eyes open and never stop looking for those incredible

00:15:32.019 --> 00:15:35.279
stories of bravery and resilience. And on that

00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:37.679
note, I think we'll wrap up our deep dive into

00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:40.360
the amazing life of Cecil H. Bolton. Sounds good.

00:15:40.580 --> 00:15:42.980
Thanks for joining us, everyone. And I want to

00:15:42.980 --> 00:15:45.000
thank everybody for listening to Veterans Radio

00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:48.399
today. I am Jim Fossone. It's been a pleasure

00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:51.000
to be your host. I'm a Veterans disability lawyer

00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:53.799
at Legal Help for Veterans. And you can reach

00:15:53.799 --> 00:15:59.779
us at 800 -693 -4800 or legalhelpforveterans

00:15:59.779 --> 00:16:02.970
.com on the web. You can follow Veterans Radio

00:16:02.970 --> 00:16:06.269
on Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet

00:16:06.269 --> 00:16:10.889
radio shows by visiting us at veteransradio .org.

00:16:11.009 --> 00:16:14.809
That's veteransradio .org. We again want to thank

00:16:14.809 --> 00:16:17.950
our national sponsors, the National Veterans

00:16:17.950 --> 00:16:23.370
Business Development Council, nvbdc .org. Legal

00:16:23.370 --> 00:16:26.769
Help for Veterans, a veterans disability law

00:16:26.769 --> 00:16:31.850
firm with a national practice before The VA can

00:16:31.850 --> 00:16:35.549
help you on your claims and your appeals. It

00:16:35.549 --> 00:16:38.909
can be reached at legalhelpforveterans .com or

00:16:38.909 --> 00:16:46.269
1 -800 -693 -4800. And PuroClean, a leader in

00:16:46.269 --> 00:16:50.049
property emergency services. It's the paramedics

00:16:50.049 --> 00:16:53.830
of property damage, providing water damage remediation,

00:16:54.129 --> 00:16:57.350
flood water removal, fire and smoke damage remediation.

00:16:57.820 --> 00:17:01.919
mold and biohazard cleanups. You can reach them

00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:09.619
at puroclean .com or 800 -775 -7876. We also

00:17:09.619 --> 00:17:12.559
want to thank our local sponsors. This would

00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:18.359
include the Charles S. Kettles chapter of the

00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:21.619
Vietnam Veterans of America. That's chapter 310.

00:17:22.420 --> 00:17:26.680
VFW Graf O 'Hara Post 423, the American Legion.

00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:30.779
Erwin Preskin Post 46 in Ann Arbor as well, the

00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:33.619
VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, and certainly

00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:36.720
the National Vietnam Veterans of America Association.

00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:40.019
You can be a sponsor by going to veteransradio

00:17:40.019 --> 00:17:44.420
.org, clicking on the About Us in our sponsors,

00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:47.720
and help us out. Keep this program alive for

00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:52.279
the 21 and 22 years. Keep us going for another

00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:53.480
20. Thank you.
