Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal grandparents taken in their living room in New Castle, Delaware, probably in the late 1960s.

William Odgers (1918 - 1986)
Ellen LeGates Odgers (1924 -1970)

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal uncle taken in his family living room in New Castle, Delaware in December of 1965, while he was playing with some of his Christmas presents.  He was 11 years old.

James Odgers
1954 - 2007

What Is In A Sympathy Card?

Early sympathy cards were announcements of a person's death.  They were usually plain and included the person's name and facts, maybe an image of a tombstone.  Eventually they evolved into what we know today, a message of sympathy to bereaved family members.

I have been reading through a lot of sympathy cards as I go through things from my paternal uncle's funeral.  The thing that stuck out to me was the personal messages written in some of the cards.  Words like sense of humor, wonderful, fun, great boss, great friend, special person, great guy, and kindhearted were used to describe my uncle.  What a wonderful picture of him that was painted through the kind words of people that he touched throughout his life.  A picture that was easy for me to see because I knew and loved him.

It got me thinking, though.  How many other sympathy cards will I come across for other deceased family members?  And will any of those include kind words that will paint a picture for me of someone I never met?  I sure hope that is the case and I plan to keep looking.

One thing I do know is, even though it has been over nine years, I still miss my uncle's kindheartedness and wonderful sense of humor.

6 December 1967 Letter

This is a letter written by my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt on 6 December 1967, while he was stationed in Vietnam.  He had been out in the field for a few weeks, and was hoping to be back at base camp by Christmas and home by September.

Four days after this letter was written my uncle and his company were in a terrible fight with an

Photo taken by Paul Branyan in the
days leading up to his death.

enemy that was dug in at a ditch.  He was on an armored personnel carrier and was passing ammunition to a fellow soldier, Drew Shipley, as he was firing a 50-caliber machine gun.  Sargent Shipley was shot in the head and killed.  Despite knowing the danger, my uncle took over the machine gun and, tragically, met the same fate.

At the time of his death, my uncle had been in Vietnam for 100 days.  He was twenty years old.

Sadly, my aunt received the letter from my uncle the day after he died.

This is a link to an article that describes the battle that occurred on the day my uncle died.

Paul Branyan's Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial page
Memorial Page for Paul Branyan
Web site for 1st Battalion 50th Infantry

20 November 1967 Letter

This is a letter from my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt.  He wrote it on 20 November 1967 and she received it a week later.  He wrote it after he had returned to the field in Vietnam after a short break at base camp.  He closed his letter by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  He was looking forward to getting home the following September, but he died in battle less than a month after this letter was written.

Memorial Page for Paul "Ozzie" Branyan
Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Page for Paul "Ozzie" Branyan

16 October 1967 Letter

This is a letter from my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt.  He wrote it while stationed in Vietnam on 16 October 1967.  My aunt received it on 24 October 1967.

He mentioned my dad's visit home on leave from the army.  My uncle joked that it was a two hard weeks with my aunt and my mom around and that my dad would be ready to get back to the army life.  He also joked about Vietnam, calling it "The big Southeast Asia summer resort area."  And how "everyone is going there this year.  It's where all the action is."  In reality, he was looking forward to coming home the following September and getting out of the army.  Sadly, he would die in combat less than two months later.

Paul "Ozzie" Branyan's Memorial Page
Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Page for Paul "Ozzie" Branyan

20 September 1967 Letter

I have found that old letters can be a gold mine of information, and a little glimpse into life at that

Paul "Ozzie" Branyan

moment.  They can hold clues and provide missing pieces of a puzzle.  It can put personality to family members gone long ago.

This is a letter written by my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt.  He wrote it on 20 September 1967 from Vietnam and she received it six days later.  I know the date she received it because she wrote that date on the envelope.  A great piece of information to have!

My uncle opened the letter by inquiring how everyone was doing, asking if my dad, who was also in the army, had gotten to take leave yet, and how my aunt liked school.  I imagine my uncle was missing the every day life of home.

My uncle went on to briefly describe his trip to Vietnam on the USS General John Pope and how they stopped in Okinawa just long enough to refuel.  He wrote the letter while they were sitting in a bay in Vietnam, unloading equipment and some men.  He still had to spend a couple more days on the boat to travel up the coast.  He complained about the heat and that it felt like it was getting hotter.

He was looking forward to getting back home the following September, but would die in battle less than three months later.

Paul "Ozzie" Branyan's Memorial Page
Paul "Ozzie" Branyan on the Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial