Chester Herman Budish was born August 19, 1919 in Lorain, Ohio. His family moved to the Milwaukee area while he was young, and he attended local schools. He was inducted into military service on January 6, 1942 at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He received basic training at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and attended Airplane Mechanic School at the Rising Sun School of Aeronautics in Philadelphia in 1942.
Sent to North Africa in January 1943, Budish was transferred to Battery A, 62nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion. He saw action in Tunisia and participated in the invasion of Sicily with General George S. Patton's army. Transferred to England, he also took part in the D-Day invasion at Normandy, hitting Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. From there his unit battled through France, Holland, and Belgium.
On November 19, 1944 Budish was part of a crew firing 105 mm shells at nearby German tanks. One of their shells hit a nearby tree and exploded, injuring Budish and two other members of the crew. Budish began a journey through American hospitals, traveling from France and England to stateside military hospitals in New York, Michigan, and Illinois seeking treatment for the severe shrapnel injuries on his leg.
He received an honorable discharge due to disability on May 8, 1946 and returned to the Milwaukee area. He met and married his wife, Marilyn, on April 27, 1957. He worked various jobs before retiring in 1984. Budish passed away on February 14, 2001.
