Frankfort Square 9-year-old’s interest in Marines isn’t flagging

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Bruno Cap, 9, of Frankfort Square, likes to go with his father, John, on Warriors' Watch Riders soldier homecomings and collect signatures from the soldiers on his U.S. Marine Corps flag. | Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 6, 2012 8:05AM

Collecting action figures or trading cards is for other 9-year-old boys. Bruno Cap prefers to gather signatures from Marines.

For the past year and a half, the Frankfort Square boy has turned his love and respect for the U.S. Marine Corps into something tangible by collecting servicemen’s signatures on his USMC flag. With more than 60 collected so far, Bruno proudly displays his flag behind his bed.

He intends to bring it with him when he joins the Marines.

Bruno and his parents, John and Tina Cap, come from a military family with a history of service dating to World War II. John’s father received the Bronze Star in the Korean War, and John was in the Army Reserves from 1983 to 1995. John’s and Tina’s oldest son, Tony, is a firefighter in the Air Force and is to be deployed in April.

It was Tony’s enrollment in the Air Force that first sparked Bruno’s interest. He plans to enlist when he is 18 or 20. Meanwhile, he is counting the minutes until his 10th birthday in June, when he hopes he can sign up for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

“He’d go in right now if he could,” John Cap said.

John and Tina Cap naturally have concerns about yet another one of their sons joining the military, especially in a time of conflict. John hopes the United States will be out of the war in the Middle East by the time Bruno is old enough to join. They are proud of Bruno’s leanings even while acknowledging the risks.

“I worry about them coming home in a body bag,” John Cap said. “It bothers me, but it’s something I try not to think about.”

John and Tina were both firefighters for about 10 years. They believe that career helped them prepare their sons for what they might see while in combat.

“We don’t sugarcoat anything,” John said. “They’ve seen some horrific scenes, but it doesn’t seem to bother them.”

The Cap family are involved in several organizations dedicated to supporting the troops, including Warriors’ Watch Riders and Soldiers Guardian Angels. The soldier homecomings they attend are the main source of the signatures Bruno collects.

The family helps the organizations by having people write messages of appreciation to the troops in a book presented to them — often by Bruno — at the homecoming events. They also give the soldiers key chains and a “Challenge Coin.”

“(The coin) is to say, ‘We have your backs here at home,’ ” John Cap said. “We give it to them when they come home on leave, and the point is to have them keep it and bring it back home to us — to come back safe.”

While Bruno pays attention to the U.S. military — “There needs to be more support in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan,” he said — he does have other hobbies.

He loves sports and plays football and baseball, but nothing compares with the excitement he has for the Marines.

“I love this country that I live in, I love this state that I live in, and I love my family,” he said. “I want to protect them. I want to stand up and protect the nation.”