World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Curtis Grubb 'Bud' Culin, III
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Hometown
Cranford, New Jersey
Honored By
Pearl Thomas
Served as a tanker with the 102nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (New Jersey National Guard, the Essex Troop, 2nd Armored Division). He was credited with inventing the 'Rhino', a device mounted on the fronts of tanks. His invention was credited with saving the lives of hundreds of soldiers by making it possible for Allied tanks to break through the hedgerows of Normandy, France in July 1944. Four months after his invention, he lost a leg to a land mine in the Hurtgen Forest. He received a Purple Heart and the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster.