Born on March 3rd, 1948, Bruce H. Norton grew up in the rural township of North Scituate, Rhode Island.  Major Bruce H. “Doc” Norton, USMC (Ret.) served on active duty from 1968-1992. A combat veteran and a career Marine infantry and reconnaissance officer, he is also a Nationally recognized  historian, playwright, and author of fifteen books on the United States Marine Corps, and other military subjects, published by Random House Inc., Naval Institute Press, Quadrant Books,  and Academica Press. Enlisting as a U.S. Navy Corpsman, in 1968, he served with distinction in both 3rd Force Reconnaissance and 1st Force Reconnaissance Companies during the Vietnam War, participating in more than twenty long-range reconnaissance missions from 1969-1970. Both “Jump” and Scuba qualified, he was the only Navy Corpsman designated as a Force Recon team leader during the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat “V” Device, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, with Combat “V” Device, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Valorous Unit Citation.

He is the recipient 5 San Diego Author’s Awards and the General Robert L. Denig Memorial Distinguished Service Award, presented to him by the United States Marine Corps’ Combat Correspondence Association. He was the 2022 recipient of the Central Virginia Battle Field Trust and Fredericksburg Civil War Round Table of Virginia’s Heritage Award for distinguished service as an educator and military historian 

Along with playwright, Dr. Harry J. Kantrovich, he has co-written the script for the play; Voices from Vietnam, which premiered in Virginia in 2024. And has now co-written the script for a new play: Saving Lives; the stories of Medics,  Corpsmen, Nurses, Doctors, and Dustoff Pilots, who served during the Vietnam War. This play will premiere in May 2026, at the Castaways Theatre in Woodbridge, Virgina. 

Dr. Harry J. Kantrovich retired from the Navy after 23 years of service as a Command Master Chief   Harry is an award-winning actor, director and playwright who has been involved with theatre for over 50 years, working in college, community and professional theatres throughout the United States and Europe. Harry’s first two original plays SHOAH (in cooperation with the Claude Lanzmann family and estate) and The Greatest Generation Speaks (in collaboration with Mr. Tom Brokaw) have proven to be impactful both nationally and internationally.  His third play, co-written by Major Bruce ‘Doc’ Norton, USMC(Ret), Voices From Vietnam, completed its world premiere November 2024 and a companion book of the same name were released simultaneously. Saving Lives again has been released simultaneously with the play of the same name’s world premiere.