Bruce Sydow's Portrait
(Painting by Danella Sydow)

Combat-Decorated Marine
Bruce was a 19-year-old Huey door gunner in Vietnam, flying shotgun rider in the heavily contested areas of An Hoa and Landing Zone Baldy. His decorations include the Marine Corps Combat Aircrew Insignia with Three Service Stars, Cross of Gallantry, Vietnamese Service Medal, Vietnamese Campaign Medal, Vietnamese Defense Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Sharpshooters Badge, Meritorious Mast, and the United States Air Medal.

Profile
Bruce Sydow lives in a seaside village on the Case Inlet in Washington State with his best friend, the award-winning artist, professor, and talented wife, Danella Sydow.

They celebrated 25 years of love in 2024.

Danella Sydow on 25th Anniversary
(Photo by Bruce Sydow)

Danella and Bruce on Wedding Day
(Painting by Danella Sydow)

Published Works
Bruce Sydow's poem, "Surviving Christmas," was nominated for the 2024 Pushcart Prize. It is published in an anthology with a cover featuring Danella's painting of Bruce as a 19-year-old Marine. The book, edited by Mary Senter of Milltown Press, was a 2024 finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.  


Bruce's short stories and poetry have been published in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. His written works appear in several editions of Writing by American Warriors (winner of the Stars and Flags Book Award Gold Medal).

Selected Publications
The D.I.'s Homage to Emma Lazarus, 2026
The Poetry Society of Virginia

A Virgin in my Flak Jacket, 2025
The Freshwater Review

Surviving Christmas, 2024
G.I. Days: An Anthology of Military Life
Pushcart Prize Award Nomination
Gold Medal Indie Book Award Finalist

Proud to Be, 2012 -2023
Writing by American Warriors

Shooting the Curl, 2019
Castabout Literature

Dragon Fruit Cacti, 2018
Blue Streak: A Journal of Military Poetry

Rolling Thunder, Vietnam, 2017
Perfume River Poetry Review

R & R in Sydney, 2016
Penduline Press
Best of the Net Award Nomination

Destiny in Bangkok, 2013
Tell Us a Story

Union Town, 2009
In Tahoma’s Shadow

Award-Winning Therapist
Bruce holds a master's degree from the University of Washington in Seattle (where he received a research assistantship from the National Institute of Mental Health).

He served as a therapist in treatment centers where he counseled over 1,000 clients. Rebuilding Hope! (the Sexual Assault Prevention Center of Tacoma and Pierce County) elected Bruce to their Board of Directors and honored him with the Gold Star Award.

Award-Winning Professor
Over 10,000 students, at two universities and five community colleges, have enrolled in Bruce's courses. Elected President of the Faculty, Professor of the Year, and Chair of the Behavioral Sciences, Bruce is the recipient of the Board of Trustees' Exceptional Faculty Teaching Award.

Bruce and Danella's Home
The Sydow family moved into their craftsman-style house after negotiating an all-cash purchase without the use of realtors or agents. They live a mortgage-free life.

Their Mortgage-Free Home in Lakeland Village

Located near a seaside village on the Case Inlet in Mason County, their home is an hour drive from Danella's extended family. Their one-third acre backyard has become a sanctuary for migratory birds, deer and other wildlife. 

Backyard
The redesign of their property (which features two large porches, three skylights and a 17-foot cathedral ceiling) involved removing and repurposing 1,000 square feet of decking. View their > renovations <

20-Year Anniversary
They are richly blessed.