Philip Clyde Brannon

Captain, U.S. Marine Corps

Philip Clyde Brannon, son of Clyde Travis and Alleen (Fowke) Brannon, was born into a Marine Corps family in Macon, GA, on 28 February 1926. He grew up traveling the U.S., and became fluent in Spanish during his youth when his father was stationed in Panama. Finishing high school in Georgia, he attended the Georgia Military Academy, and entered Emory University in the V-12 program.

Philip then enlisted in the U.S. Navy to join the war effort. At the end of WWII, he received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he received a degree in Engineering, and was a member of the Academy's track and field teams, specializing in the high jump and pole-vault. Upon graduation with the Class of 1949, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, and, just over a year later, found himself with the First Marines landing at Inchon during the Korean War. There he received the Bronze Star Medal for combat bravery, as well as the Purple Heart for his wounds. He returned to the U.S. for recuperation.

Phil resigned from the USMC in September 1956 as a Captain for a career with Prudential Insurance Company. In 1958, he was given the assignment to start up Prudential's first computer operation - the computer took up the entire 16th floor of the Jacksonville, FL, Home Office. Following that assignment, he transferred to Nashville with his family in 1962, where, as Prudential's representative, he oversaw the construction of the current Sheraton Hotel downtown. Finishing his career as a Vice-President in charge of developing PruCare Centers, he retired for a third career of raising grandchildren.

Death and Burial

Captain Brannon died on 21 September 2012 in Nashville, TN. He received a private military funeral at the Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery.

Phil was preceded in death by his parents, Captain Clyde Travis Brannon, USMC, and Alleen Fowke Brannon. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sandy; his sons, Travis (Susie), Todd (Kim); and grandchildren, Travis, Rachel, Chase and Collin.

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