Private Joseph Barnett Brannon
United States Army, World War II – Killed In Action
22ND Infantry Regiment – 4th Infantry Division
May 25, 2021 - Joseph Barnett Brannon was born in the east Texas town of Gary in Panola County to Mae Alice Woodfin and John Alvin Brannon on January 16, 1919. Tragically his mother died two days after his birth leaving John to raise Joseph and his six older siblings; John Emmett, Travis, twins Lloyd and Lorene, Gertie Lee and Clara Ophelia. They lived on a mortgage free farm on Gary and Tenaha Road in Panola County and no doubt each of the children had specific chores to complete each day.(1) By 1930 father John was remarried to Eliza Gertrude Whitaker of Rusk County, Texas.
Times were hard with the Great Depression of the 1930’s but Joseph graduated from Timpson High School in Shelby County with the class of 1938. On April 2, following graduation, he married Miss Jessie Mae Williams at the home of her parents in the Tennessee Community. Rev. B. C. Anderson conducted the ceremony. (Timpson Daily News, April 11, 1938). The newlyweds, both with high school educations, rented a farm on the Tennessee Road in Rural Shelby County and in late 1939 their first child, daughter Dixie Jo was born.(2)
Joseph complied with the 1940 Selective Service Act by registering for the military draft on October 16, 1940 in Taft, San Patricio County, Texas where they now lived. His Registration Card, D.S.S. Form 1 noted the following; Address, Taft, Texas; Employed by City Filling Station, Taft; Race, white; Description, six foot three inches, 182 pounds with brown eyes, black hair and a light complexion.(3)
A second child, John Anderson was born on July 23, 1941 just five months before the Japanese surprise attack on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States was now fighting a second world war but this time on two fronts, Europe and the Pacific. Almost three years later Joseph was inducted into the US Army on July 5, 1944 in Houston, Texas and sent to Fort Hood, Killeen, Texas for training. Joseph and other soldiers were then assigned to a replacement company for the 22 Infantry Regiment of the 4 Infantry Division that had arrived in Europe in January 1944. Departing the United States in December 1944 just before the 22 Regiment was moved to Belgium and re-entered Germany February 7, 1945 where it remained until July 4. It was during this time, March 3, 1945 that Private Joseph Brannon, serial # 38549202 was killed in action at age 26. This was two months and five days before Victory in Europe was declared.
AMBC Form 1, December 1, 1948, Headstone Inscription and Interment Record shows he was initially buried in Temporary Cemetery # 1225, Bastogne, Belgium. Rites would have been given by an Army Chaplain along with Military Funeral Honors.
The Timpson Daily Times newspaper, Timpson, Texas, March 30, 1945 reported his wife Jessie Mae received a telegram from the War Department informing her of Joseph’s death and confirmation was given in a letter dated March 21. He was survived by wife Jessie; five year old daughter Dixie Jo; three and one half year old son, Johnny; parents Mr. & Mrs. [stepmother] J. A. Brannon, Gary; three brothers, Lloyd Brannon and Travis Brannon, Beaumont, Emmett Brannon, Calvert; three sisters, Mrs. R. A. Adams [Lorene], Beaumont, Mrs. Curtis [Gertie Lee] Wells, Houston and Miss Clara Brannon, Gary.
Following the Japanese unconditional surrender in the Pacific on September 2, 1945, World War II came to an end. More than 405,300 Americans died and families of those positively identified were offered burial options. They could choose burial in an overseas military cemetery or bring the remains of their loved one home to the United States for burial in a cemetery of their choice. Father John Alvin chose to leave his son buried with his comrades as did approximately 40% of other families facing the same decision.(5) In 1948 he was reinterred at the new Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial Henri-Chapelle, Arrondissement de Verviers, Liège, Belgium. Joseph rests at Plot H, Row 1, Grave 40. Day is done, God is nigh.
“That these dead shall not have died in vain”…..Abraham Lincoln.
Epilogue: Jessie Mae remarried Mr. Edwin Cook and lived to age 75, passing in 1996. Son John passed in 2006 at the age of 65.