Bruce  Anthony Quint was born in Russell, KS on August 12, 1960 to James and  Mary Quint; but, to those of us who knew him best, he will always be a  Cornhusker from Imperial, NE. The oldest of three boys, Bruce learned  leadership at a young age and, after moving from Kansas to Nebraska,  excelled at athletics at Chase County High School in Imperial. In  Imperial, Bruce stood out as a scholar, athlete, and leader. He thrived  on competition and never lost his desire to prove that someone from a  small town in rural Nebraska with a population somewhere slightly north  of 2,000 could succeed against all odds. As if he needed more proof of  his determination and tenacity, Bruce competed for and won a  congressional appointment from Virginia Smith, Nebraska District 3.

Bruce  arrived at West Point in the summer of 1979 ready to meet all  challenges. After Beast Barracks, he was assigned to Company B-1, where  he learned the intricacies of being a plebe and then a cadet from the  hard-charging “Beta House” upper-class cadets. Following his plebe year,  Bruce, like the rest of his class, was reassigned, and he found his  calling as a member of Company H-4 “Go Hogs!” Bruce had a warm heart and  a mellow demeanor unless one was facing him on the fields of friendly  strife. Once he found his way onto the playing field, Bruce became a  fierce competitor. Whether it was quarterbacking the intramural football  team or playing a pick-up basketball game in the gymnasium, he was  always going to put forth 100-percent effort. All knew that a bright  future awaited Bruce on the other side of Thayer Gate. As he drove out  the gate in his red Camaro Z28 following graduation, he was destined for  greatness.

Bruce selected the Armor branch and, after attending  the Armor Officer Basic Course, was assigned to an armored company in  the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, KS. After serving as a tank  platoon leader and as the adjutant for 3rd Battalion, 37th Armored  Regiment, Bruce elected to transfer to the Adjutant General’s Corps.  Bruce served a tour in Korea before returning to the United States to  finish out his active-duty service commitment.

Bruce’s compassion  and leadership was on full display on December 18, 1986 when he took a  call for one of his soldiers with whom he was sharing battalion duties.  The soldier’s father told Bruce that the soldier’s fiancée had been  killed in a car accident. As only a servant leader would, Bruce quickly  dismissed the soldier to pack his bags and then stood his post. Once the  soldier’s “shift” was over, Bruce, finding that the soldier had very  little money, bought him a plane ticket home, shoved his leave papers in  his hand, and immediately drove him to the airport. Bruce only asked  that he pay him back whenever he could. The soldier returned from  emergency leave to find that Bruce had permanently changed duty  stations. Bruce was always there for his soldiers.

Bruce married  Donna Gibson on November 26, 1988 and was the proud father of two  amazing young ladies, Abigail and Lilith Quint. Although he was very  focused on his career, he never lost sight of the real priorities in his  life. After leaving active duty, Bruce found the stability that he  craved for Abby and Lily by settling in Valparaiso, IN. He was actively  involved in the girls’ activities and was so proud when he related their  successes.

Bruce left active duty to pursue his dream job in the  financial services industry. He accepted a position as a financial  advisor at Merrill Lynch and worked diligently to pass all required  examinations so that he could provide the best possible advice to his  clients. Bruce earned a promotion to vice president-senior financial  advisor and, eventually, was selected as the regional leader of the  Merrillville, IN branch in 2005. As with everything he did, Bruce put  his heart and soul into making the Merrillville branch the best in the  country.

Bruce continued to proudly serve in the U.S. Army Reserve  and eventually retired to fully concentrate on running the Merrillville  Merrill Lynch branch. As a reservist, he held several positions of  increasing responsibility with the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade,  culminating in a leadership role on the government team. Bruce  volunteered to deploy on the advance party for the brigade’s deployment  to Kuwait and subsequent movement to Baghdad, Iraq in support of  Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Bruce and the advance party ensured the  successful follow-on deployment of the main body in March 2003. Once the  brigade was on the ground in Iraq, Bruce moved into a liaison role in  the International (“Green”) Zone in Baghdad, where he represented the  308th to higher commands. He spent the majority of his 12-month tour in  the Green Zone. He also traveled to various other areas of Iraq,  including Balad and Camp Victory, which served as the brigade’s  headquarters location. Bruce retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a  lieutenant colonel.

Bruce could always be counted on regardless of  what was going on in his life. Family members include wife, Donna;  daughters Abigail and Lilith; parents James (deceased) and Mary; and  brothers Christopher and Sidney.

He will always be missed by those who had the pleasure of knowing him!

A great friend loved by all, Bruce was always there, first time and every time, we we’ll never forget him that way.

— 1983 Howitzer