thedrifter
09-24-07, 08:49 AM
Saving lives as a medic in the Pacific: Brenner was one of four brothers in WWII
By Jen McCoy, Daily Register
Lillian Brenner went to the Mayo Clinic in 1943 to assess her health. The doctor asked why she was so nervous. She replied: "Because I have four sons who are all in the service, and they're all on active duty overseas."
One of those sons was Bernard Brenner, an Army medic during World War II. The Thorp native had one of the highest draft numbers in Columbia County. He entered the service May 12, 1942, after a six-month deferment to help in a cheese factory west of Randolph.
"When I left for service, I had given (future wife) Frances a diamond. But I didn't propose marriage to her because if I didn't come back, I didn't want to tie her down," Brenner, 88, said.
Brenner and Frances Williams, of Cambria, met years before at a dance in a vacant cheese factory.
"He had his own car. We left together from the dance and we just stayed together ever since," Frances, 84, said.
Brenner shipped out on the President Coolidge in the fall of 1942 from San Francisco, with the 43rd Infantry Division of the Vermont National Guard. There were 7,200 servicemen on the ship for 17 days.
"I and many others were very seasick all the way to New Caledonia (in the Pacific). When I thought I was feeling better, I got in the chow line, smelled the food, and I was back to the canvas (getting sick)," said Brenner, now of Portage. "I was called the canvas-back kid. I had water but not much food the whole trip."
The troop ship met a convoy in New Caledonia and went in formation to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. Word spread that a Japanese submarine was chasing Brenner's ship, so they steered toward shore.
According to an online history of the 43rd Infantry, the President Coolidge struck two U.S.-planted mines in the harbor at Espiritu Santo on Oct. 26, 1942.
"It blew the bottom out, so we had to abandon ship. And the doctor and I had to wait until everyone was off deck," Brenner said. "We jumped 15 feet into the water and when we surfaced we were covered by black oil. It was only 25 minutes from the time we hit until the ship was under water."
Two men in the boiler room went down with the ship.
While Brenner sat on the shore without medical supplies, guns or clean clothes, his brothers were also stationed at the corners of the war. Walter, the oldest son, was trailing behind Brenner as a Navy Seabee. Kenneth was in Hawaii with the Marines, and Wilfred was stationed in Germany with the Army. Brenner never met up with them during the war.
Brenner's crew was later picked up by another troop ship headed to Guadalcanal.
"It was almost fortunate that their ship sank, because they missed the Battle of Guadalcanal," Frances said.
It was on to the Solomon Islands, where Brenner contracted jungle rot, so he was returned to Guadalcanal.
"I met up there with a friend from Cambria, Roy Williams. He was a cook on the island headquarters, so I had good food," Brenner said. "He told me we would also have a great Thanksgiving meal, so I caught a ride with seven other of us guys and we had a great dinner. It was the best food since I had left the States."
But returning to the troop station at dark, Brenner found that everyone had moved out.
"The captain was there and he wanted to know where the seven of us had been. After a few days they put us on a truck to island headquarters where Roy was, so we ate real good again," Brenner said. "We were put on KP (kitchen police), where we all worked out a plan to have a day off each week. All punishments should be like that," Brenner said.
After three weeks of a welcomed punishment, Brenner was sent back to the Solomon Islands, where he was greeted with a gun battle.
"When they started shooting, I hugged the ground and bullets from the Japs were kicking dirt into my face. You dig a foxhole or you dig your grave," Brenner said. "We called for mortar fire and then we got out of there."
Brenner's unit was stationed on the island for 17 months and a handful of servicemen "couldn't take it anymore" and were sent back home, including the Catholic chaplain.
"After 17 months in the jungles and living off of C-rations, we were sent to New Zealand for some rest and recreation," Brenner said.
After exploring New Zealand, the unit traveled to New Guinea, where gun battles came sporadically.
"War is hell. During battles we would take care of the wounded and our bodies would be bloody from head to toe," Brenner said. "I carried a .45 and a carbine. Ordinarily, medics were unarmed and wore armbands designating them. But the Japs figured if they got rid of the medics, the wounded would die."
Brenner became eligible for rotation back to the United States. His hopes were up and quickly slashed days later.
"We were a smaller unit, so only one from our outfit could go and my name was drawn," Brenner said. "Two days later all leaves were cancelled and we went to the Philippines."
The unit arrived in the Philippines in January 1945, welcomed by Japanese fire from within the mountain ranges.
"The Japs liked to dig back into the mountains, push a piece of artillery out, take a few shots and then pull back in so we couldn't tell where they were," Brenner said. "A doctor got machine-gunned in the leg and we couldn't get him out, and I got sprayed with shrapnel. Some men walking by said I was done for."
But Brenner was hauled out of the foxhole and taken 10 miles to a field station to be patched up. He had shrapnel in his hip, face, right arm, left leg and close to his spinal cord. A tank landing ship took Brenner to a field hospital in Hollandia (now Jayapura) "after bobbing like a cork in the water" for half a day.
"At the hospital I met Dr. Cline, who I'd been taking care of when he was shot. He lost his leg, and two days later he had to have his appendix removed."
Two and a half weeks in sick bay, and doctors asked Brenner if he would prefer a Purple Heart or a trip back home.
"I said, 'I'll go to the States,' as I knew I would get a Purple Heart back home," Brenner said.
Brenner docked into San Francisco on March, 23, 1945, a day before his 26th birthday. He spent almost three weeks at a local hospital and was transferred to O'Reilly General Hospital in Springfield, Mo.
"My dad came down from Thorp (to stay with me), but they had so many new patients coming in that they didn't have room for me," Brenner said. "So I got a 30-day sick leave and went back home to Wisconsin."
During the leave, Brenner experienced chills and fevers. He was having malaria attacks, but still made it to the altar with Frances on April 25, 1945. His best man, Earl Kemmeter, had been in his outfit overseas, but was sent home for mental exhaustion with others. Bouts of malaria flared up until the couple drove back to Missouri in May.
"I was the color of gold, but I'm a tough old bird. They said that from January to May, the nerve in my arm had rotted and they couldn't reconnect the median nerve," Brenner said. "After 32 stitches, I still have pain in my right arm and left leg. And I still limp."
There was a big celebration when the war ended.
"While we were at Earl's the Japanese surrendered and what an experience that was. The sirens were on for hours and the city was covered in toilet paper," Brenner said. "By 10 at night, parents were begging to shut the sirens off so their children could sleep. What a difference from V-E Day (Victory in Europe), when I was at our farm. I don't remember anything about it."
The couple bounced from city to city until they settled in Portage in 1948. Frances was a school teacher and Bernard founded Brenner Plumbing and Heating. He retired in the mid-1980s.
Three of the four Brenner children are still alive. The oldest son, Walter, died in 1979 from a blood clot connected to Hodgkin's disease.
The couple have been inseparable since they met 73 years ago, Frances said, and they have been married for 62 of those years.
"The secret to a good marriage is always saying 'yes' to your wife," Brenner said.
jmccoy@capitalnewspapers.com
745-3519
Ellie
By Jen McCoy, Daily Register
Lillian Brenner went to the Mayo Clinic in 1943 to assess her health. The doctor asked why she was so nervous. She replied: "Because I have four sons who are all in the service, and they're all on active duty overseas."
One of those sons was Bernard Brenner, an Army medic during World War II. The Thorp native had one of the highest draft numbers in Columbia County. He entered the service May 12, 1942, after a six-month deferment to help in a cheese factory west of Randolph.
"When I left for service, I had given (future wife) Frances a diamond. But I didn't propose marriage to her because if I didn't come back, I didn't want to tie her down," Brenner, 88, said.
Brenner and Frances Williams, of Cambria, met years before at a dance in a vacant cheese factory.
"He had his own car. We left together from the dance and we just stayed together ever since," Frances, 84, said.
Brenner shipped out on the President Coolidge in the fall of 1942 from San Francisco, with the 43rd Infantry Division of the Vermont National Guard. There were 7,200 servicemen on the ship for 17 days.
"I and many others were very seasick all the way to New Caledonia (in the Pacific). When I thought I was feeling better, I got in the chow line, smelled the food, and I was back to the canvas (getting sick)," said Brenner, now of Portage. "I was called the canvas-back kid. I had water but not much food the whole trip."
The troop ship met a convoy in New Caledonia and went in formation to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. Word spread that a Japanese submarine was chasing Brenner's ship, so they steered toward shore.
According to an online history of the 43rd Infantry, the President Coolidge struck two U.S.-planted mines in the harbor at Espiritu Santo on Oct. 26, 1942.
"It blew the bottom out, so we had to abandon ship. And the doctor and I had to wait until everyone was off deck," Brenner said. "We jumped 15 feet into the water and when we surfaced we were covered by black oil. It was only 25 minutes from the time we hit until the ship was under water."
Two men in the boiler room went down with the ship.
While Brenner sat on the shore without medical supplies, guns or clean clothes, his brothers were also stationed at the corners of the war. Walter, the oldest son, was trailing behind Brenner as a Navy Seabee. Kenneth was in Hawaii with the Marines, and Wilfred was stationed in Germany with the Army. Brenner never met up with them during the war.
Brenner's crew was later picked up by another troop ship headed to Guadalcanal.
"It was almost fortunate that their ship sank, because they missed the Battle of Guadalcanal," Frances said.
It was on to the Solomon Islands, where Brenner contracted jungle rot, so he was returned to Guadalcanal.
"I met up there with a friend from Cambria, Roy Williams. He was a cook on the island headquarters, so I had good food," Brenner said. "He told me we would also have a great Thanksgiving meal, so I caught a ride with seven other of us guys and we had a great dinner. It was the best food since I had left the States."
But returning to the troop station at dark, Brenner found that everyone had moved out.
"The captain was there and he wanted to know where the seven of us had been. After a few days they put us on a truck to island headquarters where Roy was, so we ate real good again," Brenner said. "We were put on KP (kitchen police), where we all worked out a plan to have a day off each week. All punishments should be like that," Brenner said.
After three weeks of a welcomed punishment, Brenner was sent back to the Solomon Islands, where he was greeted with a gun battle.
"When they started shooting, I hugged the ground and bullets from the Japs were kicking dirt into my face. You dig a foxhole or you dig your grave," Brenner said. "We called for mortar fire and then we got out of there."
Brenner's unit was stationed on the island for 17 months and a handful of servicemen "couldn't take it anymore" and were sent back home, including the Catholic chaplain.
"After 17 months in the jungles and living off of C-rations, we were sent to New Zealand for some rest and recreation," Brenner said.
After exploring New Zealand, the unit traveled to New Guinea, where gun battles came sporadically.
"War is hell. During battles we would take care of the wounded and our bodies would be bloody from head to toe," Brenner said. "I carried a .45 and a carbine. Ordinarily, medics were unarmed and wore armbands designating them. But the Japs figured if they got rid of the medics, the wounded would die."
Brenner became eligible for rotation back to the United States. His hopes were up and quickly slashed days later.
"We were a smaller unit, so only one from our outfit could go and my name was drawn," Brenner said. "Two days later all leaves were cancelled and we went to the Philippines."
The unit arrived in the Philippines in January 1945, welcomed by Japanese fire from within the mountain ranges.
"The Japs liked to dig back into the mountains, push a piece of artillery out, take a few shots and then pull back in so we couldn't tell where they were," Brenner said. "A doctor got machine-gunned in the leg and we couldn't get him out, and I got sprayed with shrapnel. Some men walking by said I was done for."
But Brenner was hauled out of the foxhole and taken 10 miles to a field station to be patched up. He had shrapnel in his hip, face, right arm, left leg and close to his spinal cord. A tank landing ship took Brenner to a field hospital in Hollandia (now Jayapura) "after bobbing like a cork in the water" for half a day.
"At the hospital I met Dr. Cline, who I'd been taking care of when he was shot. He lost his leg, and two days later he had to have his appendix removed."
Two and a half weeks in sick bay, and doctors asked Brenner if he would prefer a Purple Heart or a trip back home.
"I said, 'I'll go to the States,' as I knew I would get a Purple Heart back home," Brenner said.
Brenner docked into San Francisco on March, 23, 1945, a day before his 26th birthday. He spent almost three weeks at a local hospital and was transferred to O'Reilly General Hospital in Springfield, Mo.
"My dad came down from Thorp (to stay with me), but they had so many new patients coming in that they didn't have room for me," Brenner said. "So I got a 30-day sick leave and went back home to Wisconsin."
During the leave, Brenner experienced chills and fevers. He was having malaria attacks, but still made it to the altar with Frances on April 25, 1945. His best man, Earl Kemmeter, had been in his outfit overseas, but was sent home for mental exhaustion with others. Bouts of malaria flared up until the couple drove back to Missouri in May.
"I was the color of gold, but I'm a tough old bird. They said that from January to May, the nerve in my arm had rotted and they couldn't reconnect the median nerve," Brenner said. "After 32 stitches, I still have pain in my right arm and left leg. And I still limp."
There was a big celebration when the war ended.
"While we were at Earl's the Japanese surrendered and what an experience that was. The sirens were on for hours and the city was covered in toilet paper," Brenner said. "By 10 at night, parents were begging to shut the sirens off so their children could sleep. What a difference from V-E Day (Victory in Europe), when I was at our farm. I don't remember anything about it."
The couple bounced from city to city until they settled in Portage in 1948. Frances was a school teacher and Bernard founded Brenner Plumbing and Heating. He retired in the mid-1980s.
Three of the four Brenner children are still alive. The oldest son, Walter, died in 1979 from a blood clot connected to Hodgkin's disease.
The couple have been inseparable since they met 73 years ago, Frances said, and they have been married for 62 of those years.
"The secret to a good marriage is always saying 'yes' to your wife," Brenner said.
jmccoy@capitalnewspapers.com
745-3519
Ellie