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Elmer Henry Brandanger

Elementary School in jTerrace and 1 year at Glenwood High School

2nd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division

Sergeant Brandanger was awarded the Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Korea Service Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, United Nations service Medal, Republic of Korea War Service and Combat Infantryman Badge

Narrative

Elmer joined the National Guard on June 23, 1948. The 47th Viking Division was called into active service that July. He trained at Camp Rucker, Alabama and Camp Stoneman, California and was sent overseas on August 26th. Elmer was sent to Korea as a replacement, after a 3 day stay at Camp Duke in Japan. On November 24th 1951 Sgt. Brandanger was sent into battle and was hit by an exploding mortar shell and died instantly. Sergeant Brandanger's remains arrived in Glenwood, Minnesota on February 2121, 1952 and was buried with full military honors in the Chippewa Falls Lutheran Cemetery in Terrace on February 23, 1952. Along with being the first Pope County soldier to give his life in the Korean War he was also the first veteran to be buried in the Terrace cemetery who died in action. At the request of the family in 2017, Pope County, Minnesota was asked to name the historic bridge in Terrace the Elmer Brandanger Bridge. The commissioners honored this request stating "The stone arch bridge on Old Mill Pond Road over the Chippewa River in Chippewa Falls Township be designated as "Sergeant Elmer Brandanger Bridge". This was adopted on April 24, 2017 and a ceremony was celebrated in church services and at his grave site on August 6, 2017.