Many Americans went overseas and fought for their country in World War II, and one of those men resides in Deptford Township. John Branka, a native of Philadelphia who served in WWII as a private first-class, was eager to join the war effort.
Branka enlisted in the Army because he wanted to serve his country and fight for the freedoms of the many. Although he enlisted, once the war was over, Branka said he could not wait to get discharged. He served for 18 months, from May 1944 to November 1945. Branka was deployed and served in Europe during the war, running cleanup of towns after American troops swept through them.
“It was hell at times, and other times it was nice,” Branka said about his experience. “You didn’t know what you were going to do from one day to the other.”
At times it was stressful, and other times there were some moments that were not so stressful, so he had to take things how they came. One thing that kept him and the other soldiers going was their devotion toward each other.
“When I was in my platoon, there were eight men in it. I was with them all the time, from the time I went over to the time when I came back to the states,” he said.
His platoon was a part of the United States Fifth Army Division, which was dismantled after the war. He explained why he believed the United States prevailed.
“It’s a great country, we can beat anybody,” said Branka. “The people here like to be free and they will fight for it. The ones we fought were like animals, as far as I am concerned. They were warmongers. That’s what I saw in Europe.”
Branka started in England and traveled throughout the country until he made it to Germany.
The things he saw there were unimaginable.
“We went to a couple of places where Hitler had roasted the people alive and gassed them. We went into those towns and there were plenty of people still in the stockades. They were glad to see American soldiers, believe me,” said Branka.
Branka feels that it took too long to recognize those who fought and served in WWII, especially since most of them are not around today.
“Right now, the country seems to have wisened up and understands what we did in the second World War. That’s from 1941 to 1945. They didn’t realize what we did over there to make us free, now they are realizing it today. They don’t know what to do for second World War soldiers. I don’t understand it. It doesn’t make sense to me,” said Branka.
Every first Friday of the month, Branka likes to hang out at the Mission BBQ in Deptford with other WWII veterans and talk about life.
