Wilber M. Brucker participant of World War I
Early life
Brucker was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Democratic U.S. Representative Ferdinand Brucker.  He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1916 and enlisted in the Michigan National Guard, serving with its 33rd Infantry Regiment on the Mexican border during the Pancho Villa Expedition from 1916 to 1917.  He attended Officer Training Camp at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and was commissioned a second lieutenant. Brucker served in France during World War I with the 166th Infantry, 42d Division, in the Château Thierry, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne operations, 1917–1918.  He received the Silver Star and Purple Heart, and remained a member of the Officer Reserve Corps until 1937.