Staff Sergeant Brandon was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was a member of the 33rd Bomb Squadron, 22nd Bomb Group at March Air Force Base, California on temporary duty to Korea. On 19 October 1950, he was flying a mission as an aerial gunner when his aircraft was shot down near Okinawa Shima in the East China Sea. While evacuating the aircraft, it exploded killing him.

Brandon was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, the Good Conduct Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal, the World War II Victory Medal and the Philippine Liberation Medal.