“We killed everything that got
out of ‘em,” he says.
After that battle, Brantley
received a Purple Heart, pinned
onto his uniform by Gen. Patton
himself.
“General Patton was my idol,
the greatest general this country’s
ever had,” says Brantley. “He
pinned the Purple Heart on me,
the second one I got in the hospi-
tal.”
Despite his heroic military
efforts, Brantley says he had to
face the wrath of another authori-
ty figure after successfully bat-
tling the Germans.
“The Department of the Army
wrote my mother a letter and told
her,” recalls Brantley. “The paper
said that I said it was the ‘biggest
damn tank I’d ever seen.’ I don’t
know what I said, ‘cause I was
scared, but my mother wrote me a
letter chewing me out for using
profanity.”
Brantley got out of the Army in
1946, but returned shortly there-
after as a staff sergeant in the
Korean War. He received a battle-
field commission as a second
lieutenant. Brantley later attended
Armored Officer School at Fort
Knox, Ky., before returning to
Korea, where he stayed until the
war ended. He also earned a third
Purple Heart for his service in
Korea.
From there, he went to Japan for
two years, serving with the mili-
tary police in that area before
coming home to Fort Gordon,
Ga.
Brantley acknowledges that this
month’s Memorial March will
mark his first time being in such a
program. He reiterates that such
recognition was not something he
was looking for.
“I’ll be honest with you, I never
liked stuff like this,” he says. “I
just feel like it’s kind of bragging.
I do what I’m asked to do.”
Following his time in the mili-
tary, Brantley – a lifelong bache-
lor -- dedicated his life to
Christian ministry. Although he
has been ordained to preach for
the last 70 years, he says he was
initially reluctant to answer the
call that God placed on his life as
early as high school.
“I didn’t tell my mother and dad
--- didn’t tell a soul,” says
Brantley. “After the war ended, I
stayed in the Army to keep from
trying to preach. I ran from it for
about six years. My mother and
dad got in bad health. I felt like it
was my duty to come home and
take care of my mother and dad.
You know, God does things in
mysterious ways. I’ve often won-
dered if He brought them to the
health they were in to make me
come back to do what I should
do.”
Brantley spent 51 years as the
pastor of Rock Springs Primitive
Baptist Church in Lithonia. At
one time, he preached regularly at
six different churches, and on a
weekly radio program in
Conyers.
These days, Brantley is still
involved in ministry at Benton
Village, says the facility’s
Activities Director, Renee
Fleming. She describes Brantley
as a true example of someone
who values “God and country.”
“He’s our main pastor that does
church on Sunday mornings, and
several Wednesday nights,” says
Fleming. “He is very much a pil-
lar here in this community at
Benton Village and Benton
Manor. He is truly a man that
loves our nation and God very
much.”
Econuel Ingram is the coordina-
tor of the Merle Manders
Conference Center. He says
Brantley exemplifies what
Memorial Day is all about.
“We want to remember our fall-
en, but this is a gentleman that
survived great odds to get back,”
says Ingram. “To hear more of his
story, it just makes me proud.
That’s why we want to have Mr.
Brantley as a part of our
Memorial Day March, because it
shows the strength of our country.
It shows the strength of a man, as
humble as he may be. He’s our
poster boy for Memorial Day. His
humility, it just gets me. I could
just sit here all day at his feet and
just listen. This is better than any
novel that you’ll ever get.”
The Henry County Times
May 25, 2016
Page 6
Brantley,
from front
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Exploring the Arts
Summer Camp
Dance, Drama, Literary Arts, Music, Visual Arts
Registration limited to 100 students.
9:00am - Noon
(Grades K - 3 completed)
Performing Arts Camp
Dance, Drama, Music
Registration limited to 50 students.
9:00am - 3:00pm
(Grades 4 - 8 completed)
Visual Arts Camps
Painting, Photography, Drawing and More
Registration limited to 20 students in both levels.
9:00am - Noon
(Grades K - 3 completed; Level I)
9:00am - 3:00pm
(Grades 4 - 8 completed; Level II)
June 13 - 17, 2016
Paid registration must be received by June 8
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For more information, and to register, visit our website:
Special to The Times
With summer right around the
corner, it’s time to think about
keeping children healthy while
school is out. Henry County
Library System provides free
meals to children during the
summer. This summer, meals
will be served Monday-
Thursday at all five Henry
County Library System branch-
es. At McDonough Library and
Cochran Library, meal times
will be from 1-2 p.m. At
Fortson Library, Fairview
Library, and Locust Grove
Library, meal times will be
from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Fortson
Library will also serve snacks
from 4-5 p.m., and Fairview
Library will serve snacks from
3:30-4:30 p.m.
There are no income require-
ments or registration. Any child
under age 18 may come to eat.
Each year, the U. S. Department
of Agriculture partners with
local organizations like Henry
County Library System and
Bright from the Start to provide
free meals to children when
school is out for the summer.
For more information about
the national Summer Food
Service
Program,
visit
/summer. To learn more about
Summer Reading Programs and
activities at HCLS, visit
.
Libraries to provide free meals to kids
