School principal keeps history of WWII alive
Posted on Saturday, January 3, 2009
HARRISON - Some people collect matchbook covers or antiques or elephant figurines. Harry Branch collects World War II memories.
To paraphrase the great American humorist Will Rogers, Branch never met a World War II vet that he didn't like.
Branch became interested in World War II history as a child after hearing war stories from his father, who served in the China-Burma-India triangle, and his uncle, who participated in the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. Branch is constantly on the lookout for war veterans and eagerly listens to their stories.
"Sometimes I think their information is better than what you read," Branch said.
Branch, who is in his 10th year as principal of Harrison Middle School, went on to say that, after the war, many veterans were hesitant to speak of their experiences. They were too busy raising families, or the memories of the horrors were still too fresh.
In the past 15 years or so, though, Branch has found that veterans of World War II, many now in their late 80s or early 90s, want to talk of their experiences, especially those who fought in Europe.
"I've had several tell me 'I'm afraid people will forget what we've done,'" Branch said. "I assure them we won't forget."
Branch's office at school reflects his deep interest in the history of the war - as well as his other passion, baseball. A large bookshelf holds books about World War II. On the walls, amid the certificates and plaques received in a 34-year career in education, are prints of World War II fighter planes.
Branch read from a list of notes about just a few of the veterans he has interviewed. There was 87-year-old Robert Hughart of Hardy, who was a member of the 82nd Airborne and who survived Normandy. There was former Harrison superintendent Terry Humble, who as a Marine during the war, was a bodyguard for Admiral William Halsey. Sherman Glass, a veterinarian from Kentucky, was a mule doctor in Burma.
EARLY INTEREST
Branch's fascination with the war began as a young boy. At family get-togethers in the Paragould and Missouri bootheel area, he would listen to his father, Edwin, and his uncle, James, tell war stories.
Edwin Branch served two years in the China-Burma-India triangle.
"Every morning, he got up and looked at the Himalayas," Branch said. "That's pretty different for a boy from Arkansas."
The elder Branch is 89 and still lives in Paragould. He's hard of hearing, his son said, his eardrums having burst going over the Himalayas in a plane that wasn't pressurized.
Uncle James Branch served with the famous "Indian Heads" of the 2nd U.S. Infantry. He participated in the D-Day invasion, as well as the Battle of the Bulge. Branch recalled his uncle describing his war experience as a "nightmare for a young man." His uncle said he didn't know how he survived, Branch said.
Uncle James endured 240 straight days of contact with the enemy, he recalls. After 90 days, Branch said, a soldier began to lose his effectiveness. Uncle James had also suffered hearing damage, having twice been next to German artillery during the Battle of the Bulge. Branch recalled his uncle describing the time he shot at a German tank at point-blank range with a bazooka.
Branch's uncle in 2002 made a trip to the battlefields of Europe. Upon his return, he presented his nephew with half of a holster he had found in some bushes. It was a 9 mm German officer's holster.
How did he know that from half of a badly weathered holster, Branch wanted to know.
"I can tell you that because I've seen enough of them," Uncle James said.
Branch, in fact, is named after a World War II veteran - Harry Rubash of Turtle Creek, Pa., a foxhole buddy of his father's. Rubash returned the favor, naming one of his sons Edwin. Though Harry Rubash died a number of years ago, Branch has spoken with his son.
Branch noted that World War II veterans are dying at the rate of about 2,000 a day, taking with them their stories. Yet, there were plenty still living that he needed to talk with and to thank for their service to their country.
"I decided to find these men," Branch said.
FINDING VETERANS
He has found that Wal-Mart is one of the best places to meet veterans. When he sees a cap or shoulder patch with a World War II insignia, he strikes up a conversation and, more often than not, hears a fascinating tale of the war. He once followed a man to the parking lot and noticed a bumper sticker with the 90th Infantry insignia. In talking with the man, Branch learned he was a prisoner of war.
"I wish we could pass a law that says if you're a World War II vet, you have to wear something that says you were, so we can thank you," Branch said.
Another time, he noticed a man whose coat had the Indian Head patch so familiar from his uncle's stories. He came to find out the man, though he never knew Branch's uncle, was less than a block away in the Belgium village when James Branch fired his bazooka at the German tank.
Branch has gleaned many interesting facts about the war from his interaction with the veterans.
Another of Branch's uncles, this one from Indiana, who served in George Patton's command, came home from the war with one of the most prized souvenirs - a Luger pistol. It had been taken from the body of a handsome, young German officer. The uncle takes it out and fires it every New Year's Eve.
Uncle James hit the beach at Omaha on June 7, 1944, at 7:15 a.m., the exact time that the German defenders lifted their fire on that beach and redirected it to another. As he stormed ashore, he could see the Germans on the high ground firing in a different direction. A half-hour earlier and he would have been in the direct line of fire.
In his conversations with veterans, Branch has noticed one thing that almost all share.
"No matter how desperate the situation was, there was always humor," he said.
HONORING THE PAST
A history teacher early in his career, Branch tries to instill in the students at his school an appreciation for what the World War II generation did to preserve freedom.
From time to time, he brings in veterans to speak to the students.
Because of Branch's interest, even the halls at Harrison Middle School honor the brave men who fought in World War II. Students walk to class down Terry Humble Way or Willard Phillips Avenue or Jack Williams Avenue. All were Harrison area veterans. Williams was a Medal of Honor winner.
Branch said his students have been very receptive to his efforts to educate themselves on that part of American history. Television channels like The History Channel and The Military Channel, with their computer-generated graphics, are particularly good at holding students' attention, he said.
"How can you respect anybody more than the guys who waded ashore on the beaches?" he said. "How can you respect anybody more than the guys who froze in Germany? The guys who went up in those B-17s?"
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