World
World War II veteran reflects on life as he turns 100
Before shipping overseas for World War II, Bud Sabetay enjoyed a trip to Coney Island amusement park in New York.
A fortune teller read his palm and told him that he had a long lifeline and would survive the war unscathed.
On the battlefield in Europe, he thought about that prophecy whenever he had a close call in combat. It gave him confidence that he would survive.
Sabetay is now 100 years old.
The Coney Island palm reader also predicted the soldier would get married and have two children: a boy and a girl. That came true, too.
David Sabetay, 70, and his sister, Bonnie Burte, 68, held a birthday party for their father on Nov. 2 at the Sheraton Suites in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. More than 60 guests attended the celebration.
Sgt. Robert L. “Bud” Sabetay wore his 1945 Army uniform. His blue eyes twinkled as relatives and friends gathered around him.
“Happy birthday!” they cheered.
‘The Greatest Generation’
What a life it’s been for this member of “The Greatest Generation.”
Bud and his twin sister, Reva, were born Nov. 2, 1924, to Frances and David Sabetay. Their younger sister, Elaine, was born in 1929.
Sabetay’s father, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer from Montreal, had served in Siberia during World War I and owned an auto-wrecking company. Sabetay’s mother, a homemaker and clerk, was a native of Russia.
They lived on Wesleyan Avenue and Hopocan Avenue in Barberton before moving to Akron, Ohio, when Bud and Reva were teens.
“There were more Jewish families there,” he explained.
The family attended Beth El Congregation. The children went to Buchtel High School and Bud delivered the Akron Beacon Journal to 99 homes on his newspaper route.
If the parents had concerns about the war in Europe, they kept it from the kids.
“They never discussed it,” Sabetay said.
The family learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor while listening to the radio over breakfast on Dec. 7, 1941.
Sabetay, 18, graduated from Buchtel High in 1943 and got drafted into the Army, where he hoped to be a pilot.
“I passed all the tests and I got sent to the Air Corps for a short time,” he said. “But then they traced my health back to Akron, Ohio, and found out I had sinus trouble. They said, ‘You can’t fly.’ ”
Sabetay was assigned to the 773rd Field Artillery as a radio operator and field lineman and trained at Camp Bowie in Texas. As a Jewish soldier, he sometimes experienced antisemitism.
Fellow soldiers occasionally called him names. He remembers how two-week furloughs were available alphabetically to troops at camp, but his name never came up – even though he knew men who had gone twice. A commanding officer ignored Sabetay’s request and instead sent him on maneuvers in Louisiana.
“The lieutenant colonel cheated me out of two furloughs home,” he said.
Sabetay’s unit later went to Camp Shanks in New York, which is where he and two Army buddies shared a pass to go to Coney Island and a fateful meeting with a fortune teller.
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In June 1944, they sailed for England aboard the HMS Tamara. A few weeks later, Sabetay’s company crossed the English Channel for Normandy, France. During the voyage, a captain belittled him in front of all the men, saying he didn’t know how to wear a lifejacket properly.
“He was aboard ship, and he got drunk and he had a microphone and he was swaying and saying nasty things about the Jews,” Sabetay said.
Battle of the Bulge
Sabetay landed safely in France and advanced with the Allied troops. He transferred to the 359th Infantry Regiment in the 90th Infantry Division under Gen. George Patton and fought in the Battle of the Bulge against German troops.
“I fought every day in different cities,” he recalled.
More than 19,000 Americans died in the battle, which lasted from Dec. 16, 1944, to Feb. 7, 1945. Another 47,500 were wounded and 23,000 captured.
Explosions shook the ground and smoke filled the sky. Gunfire hit trees and buildings and people. Sabetay lost friends in combat. He passed decimated villages and saw fields strewn with frozen bodies.
In Belgium, shrapnel hit his left forefinger, causing it to swell like a balloon. His eardrum burst from the concussion of the blast.
The Akron soldier served in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia and Germany. His awards included the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, French Legion of Honor and five battle stars.
As the European conflict neared its end in 1945, U.S. troops received unusual welcomes from war-weary people.
“The strange part is when we came to a German city, the Germans all liked us,” he said. “They didn’t like the Russians. They were so happy, they greeted us.”
Sabetay was in the Czech city of Pilsen when news came of Germany’s surrender on May 7. His platoon celebrated with cognac, but Sabetay chose to stay sober so he could “savor the peace.”
“I was on a balcony and I saw two guys coming down the street carrying the Jewish scrolls,” he said.
The men had rescued the Torah and come out of hiding after years of German occupation.
“It was unbelievable,” he said.
New life after the war
Sabetay was discharged as a sergeant on Dec. 2, 1945, and returned to New York aboard the USS Savannah, sailing past the Statue of Liberty. He caught a train home to Akron and adjusted to civilian life.
He opened Barberton Glass Co., a business that he operated for more than 65 years. Sabetay met his future wife, Betty Wessler, a Cleveland native, through a buddy.
“I was about 28 years old, and a friend of mine had this photo of this girl who was beautiful,” Sabetay recalled. “I said, ‘I’d like to meet her,’ and he arranged it.
“I met her and I decided I liked her. I used to go to Cleveland about every night to see her. One thing led to another.”
The couple wed in 1953, settled in Akron and welcomed two children, David and Bonnie.
“He always had time for us kids,” his daughter said. “If I needed advice or anything, he was always there.”
She said her father taught her to face her fears. When she was young, he put her on a bike, turned her in a circle and let go.
“I said, ‘Look! I can ride!’ and went right into a tree and fell down under the bike,” she said. “He took me up to the apartment, cleaned me up, brought me back down, and stuck me on the bike.”
And she rode it!
Sabetay also helped his daughter overcome a fear of the dark. When she saw a shadow on the wall and thought something was in the basement, her father calmly talked with her.
“Let’s go down there,” he coaxed. “I’ll hold your hand. Go touch that wall.”
She attended the party with her husband, Dr. Kerry Burte, and son, Evan.
Life lessons from father
David Sabetay said World War II shaped his father’s life.
“No matter what happened to him, because of what he went through, he was able to handle it,” he said.
He’s learned so many things from his dad that he’s made a list. Among the items:
Character matters. Your word is your bond. When you get down, pick yourself up. Keep moving forward: Times will get better. Respect other people’s religion, even if they do not respect yours. Treat everyone fairly. Do not lose faith in yourself. Do not carry anger. Be adaptable. Always tell the truth.
For a long time, Bud Sabetay didn’t talk about his war experiences. But he began to open up when he wrote his 2013 book “Memoirs of an American Jewish Soldier: From the Heartland of America to the Frontline of the Third Reich.”
“He never really held a grudge against the Germans,” David Sabetay said. “He said there were good Germans and bad Germans. And his whole life was that way.”
He attended the party with his wife, Christa, and children Eddy and Alexander.
Bud and Betty Sabetay were married for 57 years before she died in 2010 at age 90.
Sabetay attributes his longevity to exercise and the fact that he’s never smoked. He learned to ski in Colorado in his 60s. He did 100 push-ups a day until his 90s.
He’s a lifelong learner and loves to read, especially books about World War II.
Having survived the battlefield, Sabetay has a strong view of war.
“Well, my opinion is that all the people should get together and work together,” he said. “They shouldn’t have any more wars because it’s stupid.”
‘He saved a lot of lives’
Nearly 25 years ago, he joined the World War II-Korean War Roundtable in Fairlawn, which has since expanded to include other wars.
Former Army Capt. C. David Post, 89, of Copley Township, met Sabetay at the roundtable and they’ve been friends ever since.
“He’s a very, very remarkable fellow,” Post said. “Very humble and modest.”
Sabetay gave three presentations to the group, and his talks were tinged with sadness for all who suffered in the war.
“He saved a lot of lives,” Post said. “He just wishes he could’ve saved more lives.”
Before Sabetay moved to Cincinnati to live with his daughter, he rode each week with Post to roundtable meetings.
“He said to me, ‘David, why are you so good to me?’ ” Post recalled. “I looked him in the eye and said, ‘You saved my life. I was 10 years old and you were routing the Germans. It was you and 13 million other men and women that saved our lives.’ ”
At the birthday party on Nov. 2, Post recounted Sabetay’s service record, asked everyone to stand and led veterans in saluting Sabetay.
“Sgt. Sabetay, again, thank you for your service to this nation and happy 100th birthday,” he said.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
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