Written by: Megan B. Owings
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was ratified, and the United States of America was established. According to Wikipedia, founding father John Adams wrote to his wife that the monumental event “…will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as a great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated … with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
While Memorial Day is a day to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces, and Veterans Day is a day to honor our living military veterans of the United States Armed Forces, Independence Day is the national day of the United States! On the 4th of July, we celebrate the United States and those who protect and serve it.
At David A. Bramble, Inc. we have several Veteran employees to celebrate:
Charles Biden
David C. Bramble
Robert H. Bramble, Jr.
Derek A. Chidester
Eric E. Cropper
Keith H. Dill
Shawn Dobson
Daniel M. Dorsey, Sr.
Steven A. Fronheiser
Richard K. Gordon
Richard K. Harris
Franklin R. Isaacs
David Jackson
Caleb L. Jones
George E. McLaughlin
Karl D. Meyers
William E. Minner
Richard Murphy
Robert Pyfer
Ronald Roe, Jr.
Carlton E. Showell
Roy Suggs
James F. Williams, IV
As we celebrate the United States on July 4th, I also think about our company founder (and my grandfather) David A. Bramble. I remember watching him wave to the crowd from an old army Jeep in the Rock Hall 4th of July Parade alongside his dear friend Charlie Joiner. David A. Bramble’s service and his story are truly American. Born in Fairlee in 1918, he attended public schools in Kent County and graduated from high school in 1934 at the age of 15 — skipping a year. He started out buying scrap from local farmers and taking it to scrap yards in Wilmington, Del., and other cities. Then he purchased a truck and hauled freight. At the age of 23, he enlisted in the Army Air Force’s flying cadet program in 1941. He graduated from flight school in July of the following year; on the same day, at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, he married Margaret “Marnee” Kitner. After completing pilot’s training at various air bases in the United States, he was assigned to the 323rd Squadron 91st Bomb Group 8th Air Force at the Bassingborn Barracks in a small town about 40 miles north of London, England. Bramble flew a B-17 Flying Fortress across the Atlantic bound for the United Kingdom. When he could not find the airfield due to poor weather, he was forced to make an emergency landing. Though Bramble survived, his aircraft was so badly damaged that he had to use another for his combat tour. He flew 25 combat missions aboard B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, with his last mission being the first daylight raid on Berlin on March 6, 1944. His plane was called the Village Flirt. His decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.
Mr. Bramble returned to the U.S., by ship, in late 1944 and was assigned to testing weapons using B-17s and B-29s in Florida and later in Aberdeen, during which time he was promoted to major. In 1947 he established a construction company in Fairlee that specialized in building roads. David A. Bramble, Inc. was Incorporated in 1959, and later relocated its office to Chestertown. Mr. Bramble was given numerous awards for the quality of his work. During that time the construction and paving business grew, and he was able to purchase two farms. In 1971, Mr. Bramble joined with another of his sons, Alan S. Bramble, in building the Tolchester Marina on the site of the old Tolchester Amusement Park, a popular day-trip destination by excursion steamers until the opening of the Bay Bridge in 1952. In addition to his business acumen, Mr. Bramble was also known for his generosity in the community. Mr. Bramble was married 62 years to Marnee before he passed in 2004 at age 85.
Talk about Setting the Standard!
