By Tracy McCormick-Dishman
editor@floridanewsline.com
At 101 years old, Bill Spates has vivid memories of his service in World War II—building pontoon bridges under enemy fire and learning leadership lessons from Gen. George Patton.
But these days, the Brooklyn native who now lives in St. Johns is better known by a different name: Uncle Bill.
Spates earned that nickname at Field of Dreams, where he’s become a fixture at the youth baseball games, sharing his love of the sport and his remarkable history with a new generation. His daughter, Mary Anne Russell, helps translate his stories, acting as a clear voice for his incredible experiences.
“I could drive,” Spates said, recalling how he joined the Army Corps of Engineers in 1943 at age 19. “All you guys drive a road grader? I could drive.”
His skill led him on a path from basic training in Texas to England, then across France, Belgium, and finally Germany with the 291st Engineers, Company C. His unit’s mission was critical: constructing and maintaining the bridges that would allow Allied forces to advance.
Building Bridges Under Fire
One of Spates’s most significant assignments came at Remagen, where his unit was tasked with building a pontoon bridge across the Rhine River near a captured German bridge.
“We had to build a pontoon bridge right across,” Spates recalled. “And when all the captured fell down, we had to run out and just hit at the pontoon bridge so they wouldn’t drop.”
Russell explained the harrowing scene: Patton’s army needed to cross, and when the existing bridge collapsed, Spates’s unit had to quickly dismantle their backup pontoon bridge to prevent it from being destroyed by the falling debris, then rapidly reassemble it for the troops to cross into Germany. The entire operation took less than a day.
“Bless the day,” Spates said of the swift work. For this action, his unit received a citation for holding their position and completing the critical bridge construction.
Later, during the Battle of the Bulge, Spates was one of six soldiers assigned to guard and maintain a strategic bridge, with orders to mine it if necessary to prevent it from falling into German hands. The six were eventually relieved by an entire battalion.
From Brooklyn to the Front Lines
He recalled a memorable leadership lesson from Gen. Patton that stuck with him. “He said you take a piece of spaghetti, okay, you can’t push it, but you can take the pen and pull it,” Spates shared, referring to Patton’s philosophy that you lead troops by pulling them forward, not pushing them.
A Life After War
Spates was on leave in Luxembourg when he heard that the war in Europe had ended. He was slated to ship out to the Pacific theater next, a deployment he was relieved to avoid when President Harry Truman ordered the dropping of the second atomic bomb on Japan. “If Harry had to order a second bomb, we would have been all the way over to Japan,” Spates said, adding simply: “I hate bugs.”
Discharged in December 1945, he was home for Christmas. Spates married his wife, Ann, in August 1948; they were married for 59 years before her passing in 2007.
After the war, he worked for a company that refurbished printing presses before joining the U.S. Postal Service in 1959. He worked there for 27 years, with his military service counting toward his retirement, giving him 30 years of credited service when he retired in 1986.
The couple raised three children in Poughkeepsie, including son Dick, who served with the Marines in Vietnam.
Uncle Bill and Field of Dreams
Spates and Mary Anne Russell moved to St. Johns last November. One of his longtime passions is youth baseball, which he prefers over the professional league.
When Russell’s realtor suggested they check out Field of Dreams, they instantly loved watching the Little Leaguers.
George Vancore, the lead umpire, quickly struck up a friendship with the veteran and began calling him “Uncle Bill.” Vancore often recognizes Spates over the microphone, thanking him for his service.
“Dad absolutely loves going to the games,” Russell said. “He loves to tease them. He loves to have a hot dog.”
Spates remains active, having played softball until he was 80, only stopping when he found the co-ed games too rough.
These days, Uncle Bill can be found at Field of Dreams, watching the next generation play the game he loves, sharing his remarkable history with anyone who asks, and, at 101, reminding everyone that there’s always a reason to keep moving forward.
