Recipes for Living Marion Willis Brannon

I am a native of Osceola. My folks were married on October 20, 1915. Although they were very poor, they owned the house at 206 North Lincoln, where all the children were born. They had a baby born July 30, 1916. They bought milk from a neighbor. Mother found out later their cow was so sick they had to milk her lying down. This killed my brother. He died September 11, 1917. It wasn't all the "good old days."

I was born November 17, 1926, grew up and went to school here, but I quit when I was in the eighth grade. I was out on my own from then on. I would come home from time to time and stay awhile, then go back out into the world. My first venture was when I hitchhiked to Des Moines and got a job - actually it was a government job in a program designed to keep kids off the streets. There were several locations where they made all kinds of wooden furniture for sale, and I worked in a two or three story building on the lower east side. I also worked for Boyt Harness Company when they were in Des Moines. It was on West Court Avenue, the south side of the street, I think in the 300 block.

I worked there in the fall, winter, and spring, and then decided I wanted to see the world. I quit my job and started hitchhiking to different states. I went to Minnesota, where my cousin, William Blackburn, and I signed up to work in the beet fields. He was 10 years older than me. He had been in the Army at the start of World War II, and was discharged because of his eyes. One eye was crossed really badly. Later, he had corrective surgery.

He and I just traveled around. I was pretty rich. I had $15! We worked for our food but if there was not any work, we bought it. We went to Illinois and Missouri, hitchhiked to Texas, which is actually where we were headed. By the time we got to Oklahoma, they'd had a murder and nobody would pick up hitchhikers, so we split up. I went on ahead and we made an agreement that if he got a ride, he would ask to stop and pick me up, or he'd get out and let me ride. I just kept walking. I remember seeing what I thought was a big stick, that was clear across the road. It turned out to be a snake, probably a bull snake. I walked w-a-y out around him.

I came to a gas station that was also a little store a hundred miles from nowhere. I bought a bottle of pop for a nickel. I waited until a car drove in and asked for a ride. I didn't know where he was going. I just wanted to get to the next town. He didn't really want to take me, but he finally did. Bill never got a ride so he started hitchhiking either way. He came back to Iowa, and I went on to Texas. In whatever town I came to - the first one just over the line on highway 69. I stayed a couple of days waiting for him. I finally decided he wasn't going to show up - he was probably back in Iowa by then. So I spent two nights there. It was spring, nice and warm, and I didn't want to spend money on a hotel room, so I slept on a bench in the park.

That became my pattern. I hitchhiked every day until night. My eating habit helped a lot because I never was a big eater and didn't require much food. One night it was dark when I got to the town and there were two buildings side by side with a narrow space between. There was a little bush and I slept there behind the bush. It was right on the highway, and the next morning I went out, stuck out my thumb, a truck picked me up and brought me clear into Missouri, a town this side of Kansas City- probably Bethany. I got a couple more rides, and was in Osceola early in the afternoon. I was in Texas one day and in Osceola the next!

That didn't cure me of wanting to travel and I spent a lot of time with Ben Harlan, a chiropractor. He was independent, had never married, and liked to travel. He lived just east of the depot, and occasionally when a freight train went through Osceola, he would go home, lock up his house, grab the train, and ride. Ben told me about a time when he and his friend, Joe Laprovite, an intelligent, pretty well educated man from Davenport, decided to go to China. They had 15¢ between them when they left on a freight train. They got to California and stowed away on a ship that was actually going to Japan. They were discovered a couple days out and had to work their way. When it appeared they would be forced to come back to America, they jumped ship, took another, landed in the Philippines, and from there took another ship to China.

One winter night, when Joe took his shoes off to sleep, somebody stole them. He went to a mission where they gave him a pair of shoes. Joe could type and they gave him a job at the mission, where he worked quite awhile. I don't think Ben ever worked - he panhandled. He might have taken some odd jobs, but there came a time when the law picked both of them up. They were thought to be Russian, and Ben and Joe were told they were either going to hang or shoot them. When the fellows insisted they were Americans, they had to write back to a lawyer in Osceola, Friend Curry, who sent whatever papers were required and they were let go. I don't know how they got back - whether they worked or stowed away, but I went out with Ben a lot, either on a freight train or hitchhiking. Sometimes he took his guitar. He liked to sing.

I would be 16 in November of 1942 after World War II started. In October, we decided to go to Omaha and join the Merchant Marines. We were all ready to sign the papers, when they asked how old we were. It turned out Ben was a year too old, I was too young, and they wouldn't let us join. It was getting to be about dinnertime, and we panhandled. We always asked for work in exchange for something to eat. We were always willing to work. One lady gave us a sandwich apiece, and we mowed her yard, but we were still hungry. We went to the next block, knocked on a door and there was an Indian lady. There was a bunch of women having a meeting there. They said, "Come on in," and we did. They noticed Ben had his guitar, and they asked him to play. He played and sang for them and they gave us a feast. We stayed there quite awhile. I was kind of bashful but Ben liked to talk, so we were welcome.

From there, we went to the railroad and got a train. Ben had a sister living in Perry, Iowa. She didn't approve of him and his bumming around, so he said, "Let's go and shake up my sister." We did that and the following day hitchhiked back to Des Moines. It was late evening when we got there, but we went on to Indianola and then to Osceola. I still miss Ben. He didn't have to live and dress like he did, but he preferred it.

The day before I was 17, I went to Des Moines to enlist. I didn't want to go into the Army, but I hadn't made up my mind whether I preferred the Navy or Air Corps. I realized that with only an eighth grade education, I might not be accepted by the Air Force, so I chose the Navy. I had to go back the next day when I turned 17, and found out I needed my parents' signature. My mother didn't want to sign, but I talked her into it. I had hitchhiked to Des Moines, back to Osceola, then back to Des Moines the next day. I filled out all the papers, but they didn't sign me up right away. They said they would call me, and I was finally sworn in with about a half dozen other fellows on the 30th of November, 1943. At some point we were given a physical at Camp Dodge. We stayed all night in a hotel and the next day got on a train.

We had 15 days leave at the end of boot camp. I left Farragut, Idaho about 1:00 in the afternoon on January 26, 1944, and came to Osceola, Iowa. When I returned to Farragut, I was sent to Fort Pierce, Florida for amphibious training. They assigned me as a gunners' mate in small boats. I had to learn how to handle small boats and the guns, to the point where we had to tear them down and put them back together blindfolded. We fired every kind of gun they had.

I'm not sure how long we were there. I should have written this account years ago because I had a good memory, but in these 60 years, I have lost a lot of the details. We probably were there three or four months, and after graduating, they took us to another Florida location to the northwest of Fort Pierce, Florida. There we picked up an LST (Landing Ship Tank). Ours was LST 555. There was a ramp in front that could be lowered to deliver machinery or men. In most cases we could take them to land, in others the men would wade ashore, depending on the lay of the land. If the ship couldn't beach, we would take the men and equipment ashore by small boats.

On our LST there were six LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel). These were 36 foot boats with two machine guns. I was one of the gunners on boat six, which was at the back of the ship on the left side. It was the one the officers used 9/10 of the time. Whether we were in port or in the middle of the ocean, if the officers wanted to go to another ship, they lowered the boat and we went. We'd tie up behind the ship, it pulled us, and the officers would call us when they wanted to be picked up. We'd get them and take them back to our ship. I liked that because it gave me a chance to get away from the ship. There were only a few of the LSTs that had six LCVPs on them. All of the others only had two LCVPs.

When we left Florida in the spring of 1944, I thought we might be going into the Atlantic, and I was glad to see that was not the case. The Atlantic can be treacherous as well as really cold. Instead, we went through the Panama Canal into the Pacific Ocean, then north to San Diego, California, then to San Pedro, California. We stayed there awhile before we loaded up to go to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. From Hawaii we went to Guadalcanal, crossing the equator for the first time. When you do that, you become a "Shellback." We arrived at Florida Island, in the Solomon Group - after stops at Guadalcanal and Talagi. In spite of our taking Guadalcanal in 1942, there were still Japs up in the hills.

From the Solomon Islands we went on my first invasion. The invasion forces went up and split. We didn't go to the bigger island, Palau, but our ship went to Angaur, a small Japanese garrison. There was quite a battle at Palau, when the enemy met them right at the beach. My children gave me a book entitled the Photographic History of World War II, which says of Palau: "At 8:30a.m. on September 15, the U.S. Marine Division lands on the strongly fortified island with over 500 strong points in caves connected by tunnels." The report of September 24 is "The Americans invite the Japanese still holding out in the Lake Salome area to surrender but only two men came forward. The artillery thereupon begins a murderous bombardment that lasts until the next day." On September 18, the report regarding Angaur is that the American Infantry advanced in wedge formation to the center of the island, in some sectors mistakenly attacked by their own aircraft. Units advancing in the north are partly cut off by the Japanese.

Continuing the book's report: "On September 26, the US 322nd Infantry succeeds in making a small penetration from the northern part of the Lake Salome region, and on the 27th, they began a methodical liquidation of the Japanese in that area. On September 30, the announcement is made of the capture of islands including Angaur. In spite of all this, they were still fighting at the end of the war. They had the enemy contained but they were still there. On October 18, the fighting still goes on against the little Japanese pocket on Angaur Island." Even though our job was only to take the men and supplies ashore, reading these reports brings back memories.

From there we returned to Hollandia, New Guinea, and from there to Port Morsby which is on the Australian side, the southeast part of New Guinea. We loaded up, went back around to Hollandia, and were back and forth picking up soldiers and supplies.

From Hollandia, New Guinea we went to Leyte, in the Philippines. We made two different landings to take troops and supplies. The first landing was at Tacloban. Our ship shot down two Japanese airplanes on October 24, 1944. I remember buying a bunch of bananas, probably a dozen in the bunch, that cost 10¢. I do not remember where we made the second landing on Leyte. We made two landings on Luzon Island taking troops and supplies.

Our next landing was on January 9, 1945. We participated in the initial invasion of Luzon Islands in the Philippines at Lingayen Gulf. We were the first ship to put equipment ashore since General MacArthur left the Philippines. Our second landing was on January 29, 1945. We participated in the first landing on the Bataan Peninsula at Subic Bay, Luzon Islands, Philippines. Our next invasion was on Okinawa, April 1,1945. The landings took place at 8:30 a.m. We took a bunch of soldiers in. We were loaded down with men and supplies. We made quite a few runs back and forth from Okinawa to Leyte, some trips to Hollandia, New Guinea, hauling men and supplies. The kamikazes came in. Night or day, we never knew for sure when they were coming. They just came. For some reason they never targeted our ship. If they had known that we were carrying ammunition, they would have been all over us.

We were in Okinawa when the war ended. Our Captain was a good guy. He'd played professional baseball before WWII. He came on the p.a. (public address) system to make the announcement of the war ending, but we were under heavy kamikaze attack at the time. He concluded saying, "Give 'em hell, boys."

On September 4, 1945, we took troops to Kagoshima Bay, on the southernmost island, Kyushu. We went right up to shore, opened the bay doors, and lowered the ramp. The soldiers and we went out and were met by a high official. I remember him being a small man. He was wearing a uniform, and because he was so short, his sword drug on the ground. He talked to the officers through an interpreter. When that bit of ceremony was over, we scattered. I don't know where the soldiers went, but as we went about, everybody was cordial and nice. There were no hotheads. If they had some animosity toward us, they held their temper. Later we went sightseeing. The town hadn't been bombed. I found and bought some postcards, which I still have.

We left Japan on September 7, 1945, and went back to Okinawa, arriving September 9. We left Okinawa September 11 and returned to Wakayama, Honshu, Japan on September 13, where we experienced a typhoon. We rode that one out. September 15, we left Wakayama for Nagasaki on Kyushu Island, Japan. On September 16, while underway, we were ordered back to Wakayama to avoid a typhoon. On September 17, back in Wakayama Harbor, the typhoon hit during the night. It was so dark, we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces.

On September 18, 1945 at 1:35 a.m., the USS LST 555 was thrown on the rocks. The bottom was ripped open in several places, and everything was flooded below deck, ending the tour of the USS LST 555. If the water had been deeper, we wouldn't be here today. We spent about five days on LST 661, and then went on an LCI 332 for about 2 days, then to an LCI 1093 for about a month. I left October 28, 1945, to go on LSD 16 USS Cabildo; on November 10, 1945, we left Wakayama, Japan on the transport USS Burias (AG69). It was full of men coming back to the states. We arrived in San Francisco.

I was Seaman 1st Class at the end of the war. I had earned commendations: American Area Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal4 stars, Philippine Liberation Medal 1 Star, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Medal with Asiatic Clasp, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Action Ribbon. I have one document, directed to me, signed by Harry S. Truman.

"To you who answered the call of your country and served in its Armed Forces to bring about the total defeat of the enemy, I extend the heartfelt thanks of a grateful Nation. As one of the nation's finest, you undertook the most severe task one can be called upon to perform. Because you demonstrated the fortitude, resourcefulness and calm judgment necessary to carry out that task, we now look to you for leadership and example in further exalting our country in peace. "

I came home on leave, and reported back to Shoemaker, California. The list of ships I was on previously and until my separation in 1947, were USS LST 555, USS Cabildo LSD16, USS Abele AN 58, USS PCB 881, USS Lowry DD 770. While I was on the PCB 881, operating out of Guam on weather station, we would go back to Guam and refuel, stay there awhile; then go back on weather station. Two of us decided we would take some tests while we were on Guam. I got into college by taking the test. Otherwise, I couldn't have gotten into college. Later, I took a test for gunners' mate, third class and passed it 3.79 out of 4.0. If I had stayed in the Navy, I would have gotten my rating.

We went to Pearl Harbor for overhaul of the ship, and were there about six months. I transferred to a destroyer DD770 Lowry and was on it when we went to Australia. We were there two weeks or more. We crossed the equator again at 000 longitude and latitude and I became a "Golden Shellback.” I liked Australia. Everybody was friendly and I would like to have gone back but never could afford it. We went back to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, then to San Diego, California where they decommissioned the destroyer.

I went home on leave after helping with the decommissioning. I came back to Osceola, started to college in the fall term, and received my discharge by mail on November 12, 1947. I had word that Mother had a stroke. She was paralyzed until she died July 1, 1950. After being home for Christmas, I went back and finished college, which was a three-year course. All this got to me and I left I was gone for seven months, hitchhiking by myself, and to Canada with Ben and Joe.

I came home and began working at Firestone in Des Moines in 1951. I didn’t have a car my first one was in 1955. I stayed with my cousin Bill Blackburn. Mildred Evadna Pettit and we were married in1952. We had known one another since we were kids. Lots of people knew her mother, Ava Harris Miler. Mildred worked as a Nurse' Aid at the hospital just short of 25 years. She became ill and had to give up her job. She and I have four children, all adults now - Mary C. Brannon Britt, Norman J. Brannon, Rhonda R. Brannon Earls, Sharon L. Brannon Cole

I am retired, or just plain tired. I was injured on the job in 1970 and they operated on my back, but it was not successful.. They tried several remedies and I tried twice to go back to work. I just couldn't do it and retired in 1971. I still have pain. One of my main interests is the American Legion. I've been a member 61 years, and have held every office but one. That one doesn't exist any longer in our Post. It required some legal expertise. I am now the Post's chaplain and historian.