On February 11, 2015, Fireman Clarence H. Bramley passed away. He was appointed to the Los Angeles City Fire Department on July 12, 1949 and took his pension on November 4, 1979. His last assignment was FS 85 B.
Prior to joining the Fire Department, Clarence Bramley had enlisted in the Army Air Corps, with dreams of becoming a P-40 fighter pilot. While waiting for the results of his pilot exams, his squadron was ordered to the Philippines where he serviced the very planes he was hoping to fly. Then in the spring of 1942, the islands fell to the Japanese and Clarence Bramley was captured. During the years that followed, Clarence experienced the brutal Death March and incarceration in the Philippines and Taiwan.
The “Bataan Death March” was actually a series of marches, covering approximately 85 miles. There were also nightmarish weeks on a Japanese “Hell Ship” and forced labor in a prison camp at Kosaka, Japan.
Imagine 5,000 POW’s dead in one day, in one incident. These “Hell Ships” carried American POW’s, but because the Japanese refused to fly the Red Cross a number of these ships were sunk by the American Navy, not knowing POW’s were on board.
Clarence suffered disease and brutality and witnessed the agonizing deaths of close friends and comrades.
Weeks after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Clarence Bramley was thrilled to watch American B-29 bombers drop “welcome food” and supplies to the soon-to-be-released prisoners in Kosaka. To celebrate that eventful day, Clarence and others crafted an American flag that lifted the spirits of the weakened prisoners. Although the officers and men in the camp had been hardened by years of combat and imprisonment, most of them cried with joy at the sight of Old Glory.
In the fall of 2007, the flag that Clarence and his comrades sewed was loaned to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. It remains there today on display.
Clarence Bramley never talked much about what happened. He was an amazing, humble and honest man who sacrificed so much for this country. However Bill Garner, a Marine Corps pilot during the Korean War, heard the story of Clarence Bramley and wrote a book. The newest version of the book is called, “Unwavering Valor.”
Clarence Bramley is a fine example of an American hero who is truly a national treasure. He is an unsung hero who suffered unspeakable horrors during captivity but ultimately survived and returned home largely unnoticed.
Clarence Bramley survived to join what journalist Tom Brokaw called the “Greatest Generation” in its efforts to build a stronger, better world. Clarence credits his love for family, country and his faith for the strength to overcome the harrowing years of imprisonment.
Many of us have no idea what took place during those tragic times. But to know there were many brave men, such as Clarance Bramley, should make us all proud that we live in this great country.