15 Mar Atlanta World War II Roundtable

Organized in 1986, the Atlanta World War II Roundtable meets monthly over lunch with a commitment to hear and record the experiences of that war. During the past twenty years, the stories of over 200 speakers have been recorded and submitted to the Atlanta History Center Library.

Members consist of veterans and friends from not only World War II but Korea, Vietnam, and the more recent conflicts. The luncheons are packed and the programs, excellent. Coming up … a member of WWII Intelligence and also a survivor of the Bataan Death March.

Honorable Braswell D. Deen at the Atlanta World War II Roundtable, March 15, 2012

Today our speaker was the Honorable Braswell D. Deen, Jr. His record of service in Georgia Law and public service is impressive but what he shared with us were his days in 1945 on the islands of Peleliu and Okinawa.

At 17 years old Deen was told that he was too tall to be a pilot, so he became a Marine. Yes, he is very tall. The men in his regiment called him the Watchtower. “You go up front. If you don’t get hit, we’ll be okay.”

Deen was with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment … the first wave onto Peleliu. Of the 45 that went in, there were only 9 alive that afternoon. From Peleliu, his group went to Okinawa. After 51 days, Deen was seriously injured by a knee mortar and flown out.

After the war, Deen attended law school then ran for the Georgia General Assembly where he authored Georgia’s Woman Jury Bill in 1953. (You mean before 1953 women couldn’t serve on a jury? Guess not.) He then served 26 years on the  Court of Appeals of Georgia.  At Judge Deen’s website, you can read about a variety of topics. His book Trial by Combat can be downloaded as a pdf file, and at the end includes his accounts of the perils of Peleliu and the onslaught on Okinawa.

One of my favorite moments came during the question and answer period. A UGA fraternity brother of the Judge came in his full Air Force uniform so the two of them could spar back and forth about Air Corps vs. Marines. Not sure who won but so fun to watch.

At the Atlanta World War II Roundtable website is all the information you need if you want to attend the next luncheon at the Petite Au Berge Restaurant in Atlanta. You can come as a guest, and no reservation is required.

When I was at the Roundtable a couple months ago a gentleman asked if he could sit in the empty chair next to me. Of course! I asked about his connection to WWII and was delighted to hear that he had written a book! In fact, Guy LoFaro told us that his book, The Sword of St. Michael: The 82nd Airborne Division in World War II had just been published.  The WWII veteran sitting across the table reached into his wheelchair’s pouch and pulled out that very book. It must have had 100 sticky notes marking the pages. He passed the book around the table for the author to sign.

I was speechless. It was a powerful event to witness.

Share this Post

• Tweet