Bruce Sydow's Portrait

Painting by Danella Sydow, MFA

Combat-Decorated Marine

Bruce Sydow, 11/11/2025
Pinning Ceremony for Combat Veterans
Photo by Danella Sydow, MFA

Bruce Sydow in Vietnam, 6/17/1970
Photo by a Fellow Marine

Bruce Sydow in Vietnam, 7/4/1970
Photo by a Fellow Marine

A combat-disabled veteran, Bruce Sydow was a 19-year-old Huey door gunner in Vietnam, flying missions in the heavily contested areas of An Hoa and LZ Baldy. He holds the following medals for heroic actions in combat:

Family Life

Danella Sydow Holds Lady Liberty
Photo by Erika Schultz, The Seattle Times

Bruce lives in a seaside village in Washington State with his extraordinary wife, the talented artist and beloved professor, > Danella Sydow.

Celebrating 25 years of love in 2024

Danella Sydow on 25th Anniversary
Photo by Bruce Sydow

Danella & Bruce on Wedding Day
Painting by Danella Sydow, MFA

Published Author

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.  

Photo by Mary Senter, Publisher and Editor

Award-Winning Counselor

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 counselor in treatment centers providing therapy for 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. He was elected Professor of the Year at two colleges and is the recipient of the Board of Trustees > Exceptional Teaching Award at another college.

Home on the Case Inlet
The Sydows 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.

The Sydow's Rural 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. 

The Sydow's 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.

They are richly blessed

Selected Publications

The Spray of Destruction
Gonzaga University, Reflection, 2026

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

A Virgin in my Flak Jacket
The Freshwater Review, 2025

Surviving Christmas
G.I. Days: Anthology of Military Life, 2024

Lord, Let the Water Run Clear
Proud to Be, 2023

We Were Hollywood Marines
Proud to Be, 2020

Shooting the Curl
Castabout Literature, 2019

A Sunlit Poppy Morning
Proud to Be, 2018

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

Rolling Thunder, Vietnam
Perfume River Poetry Review, 2017

Requiem for Nu
Proud to Be, 2017

R & R in Sydney
Penduline Press, 2016

All Marines are Green
Proud to Be, 2015

My North Star
Proud to Be, 2014

Destiny in Bangkok
Tell Us a Story, 2013

Charlie is Stealing for Home
Proud to Be, 2013

Lake Serene
Proud to Be, 2012

Union Town
In Tahoma’s Shadow, 2009