Bernard learned to play a horn, possibly the French Horn or Sousaphone, and at the age of 17 he joined the U.S. Army as a member of the band.  Subsequently he was transfered to active duty as a combat soldier in World War I, where he saw action in France. He sustained perminant injury there when he was caught in a mustard gas attack.  The gas ruined many of the nerves up around his forehead, and he had trouble with his eyes. Upon returning from the war, it is assummed Bernard married Corrie and lived with her and her father in northern Virginia, where they became the parents of Willard Layton.  Unfortunately Bernard's war injuries precluded him from finding gainful employment, and his marriage suffered as a result.  In the early 1920's, Bernard lived with his mother in Perry Point on the Susquehanna River in Havre de Grace, Maryland.  That area had seven to ten different hospitals, most of which served as rehabilitation clinics for war veterans suffering from what was then called "shell-shock."  The clinics offered many services and activities, including moving pictures, bowling allies, band concerts and job training.  Bernard played the horn in the concerts and taught landscape gardening to the patients.

Bernard's second marriage produced a large legacy seeded in the Bel Aire, Maryland, area.  Today they are spread from Maryland to Oklahoma and Texas.  Bernard died in 1950 or 1951, having finally succumbed to his war injuries.

Last updated: October 15, 2000