I Met a True Hero
/I MET A TRUE HERO – Written by Whayland Greene in 1999
Recently, my wife and I and friends, Jim and Dale Howard, made a trip to Jefferson, Texas to visit with Hattie Brantley, better known to the old timers as H.R. We had written each other and visited by phone several times, but meeting her face to face was a real thrill.
Hattie Brantley was a World War II nurse who was captured by the Japanese when Corregidor and Bataan and the other Philippine Islands fell to Japan. She remained a prisoner of war for about two and a half years. I learned first-hand how to appreciate World War II nurses while I was in a jungle hospital just a short distance from the front lines on Leyte Island. I saw some of the hardships and dangers they encountered and the long hours they worked in almost unbearable conditions. They could always manage a pleasant smile, and for one of them to come by and just touch you on the shoulder and say, “How are you doing today, soldier?” was priceless.
Hattie is one of only about twenty surviving World War II nurses taken prisoner by the Japanese. The Japanese who were in charge of the POW camps were not the polite and kind people that we know today. They were brutal, and lots of our prisoners of war starved to death, or were shot or beaten to death. I fought on Leyte and Luzon and I was fighting at the time the POWs were liberated so I like to think I played a tiny part in their liberation.
After reading the book, We Band of Angels by Elizabeth Norman, about prisoner of war nurses, it made me appreciate Hattie even more.
Hattie is 83 years old now and seems to be real healthy and full of life. As she showed us around Jefferson, we could hardly keep up with her. She has a wonderful outlook on life and she will let you know real quick that she is proud to be an American.
Hattie, we would like to say, “Thank you,” for the part you played in keeping this country free. And thousands of others should be letting you know the same thing. To us you are a real true hero.
Whayland and Jo Ann Greene
Jim and Dale Howard
Belcher, Louisiana
Hattie Brantley passed away in 2006 at the age of 90. To read more of her amazing story go to: