Robert Brach was born August 4, 1922 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Jacob Brach (1903-1942) and Sophie Godek (1894-1982). His parents were married April 26, 1924 in Boonville, NY. (Sophie's obituary places the year of her marriage at 1921). They bought a farm on Howanietz Road, Boonville, NY where they raised their family. Robert was the oldest of their four children which included Frederick (1925-2008), Augustine and Florence. His mom was from Poland and she came to the United States when she was 15. His dad worked a dairy farm on East Road in Boonville, NY and was originally from Pennsylvania.

Robert's name appeared often in the "community" sections of local papers. He was an active member of the Future Farmers of America and regularly attended their events. He won numerous awards at local fairs and even traveled to the World's Fair in NY City in August 1940. Robert graduated in 1941 from Boonville High School.

He registered for the draft on June 30, 1942 in Remsen, NY. He reported being 5'-8" tall and weighed 145 pounds. He had brown hair and brown eyes and worked for Clayton Brazie in Boonville, NY. He doesn't wait to be drafted enlisting on October 2, 1942 through Albany, NY with service number 12170857. He did is basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and then Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. He was able to get home for Memorial Day in 1943 for one last visit with his family before being sent overseas to England in August 1943. A December 1943 Utica Daily Press noted in the Personals that he was "somewhere in England, with a crew serving the M-7, the 106-mm. howitzer which the British in North African [sic] nicknamed "The Priest" because its pulpit-like mount for its 50-caliber machine gun."

By early October 1944 the 54th Armd FA Bn. was near Kornelimunster Germany moving southeast.toward Walheim. On October 17, Morning Reports indicate that forward positions were bombed that night into the early morning and the air field was strafed by enemy planes. Then again on October 22 Morning Reports indicated that casualties had been taken when the enemy shelled their location. Pvt. Brach was killed during this shelling on October 22, 1944. He was buried in the Henri Chapelle #1 Cemetery two days later. His commanding officer, Major John P. Sink, U.S. Army sent his Purple Heart medal home to his mother with a letter that read:

" May I extend to you the sincere sympathy of the men of this command in the bereavement you must be suffering for Pvt. Robert Beach, ASN 12170857, who died of wounds received in action while a member of this battalion on 22 Oct. 1944."

"Private Brach was an excellent soldier and you can well be proud of him as a man. He was performing [next part is illegible] in Germany when he was wounded by enemy artillery."

"In this struggle against the Germans, some must necessarily pay the supreme cost. You may rest assured that as far as the [illegible] concerned, he will not have died in vain."

"Private Brach's body is buried in Belgium. His burial was officiated by a Catholic chaplain."

"Again our sincerest sympathy to you and your family. "

His body was returned home in November 1947 aboard the SS Robert Burns and escorted by the Charles J. Love Post, American Legion and Harland J. Henneasey Post , VFW to the Trainor Funeral Home. A guard of honor was maintained while the body was resting at the funeral home. Following the service his body was escorted to the Saint Joesph's Cemetery and placed in a vault until burial the next spring. His was the first name on the Boonville, NY World War II Memorial in Erwin Park. A year after his death an "In Memoriam" appeared in the local paper in his memory.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

1941 Kortenaerian, Boonville High School Yearbook accessed at New York Heritage website at: https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16694coll146/id/12154/rec/10 on May 2, 2026.

"Boonville High School News", Boonville Herald, Boonville, NY, September 19, 1940, pg. 3

Boonville, NY Record of Marriages, Registered No. 513, Oneida County, NY, April 26, 1924, pg. 257.

"Boonville – Weidmer Elected Master of Grange", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, November 8, 1944, pg. 9

Boonville – To Hold Rites For Pvt. Brach", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, November 26, 1947, pg. 15.

Classified Ad, Card of Thanks, Boonville Herald, Boonville, NY, December 18,1947, pg. 3

CoPilot (Microsoft's AI Agent) enhanced the image of Pvt. Brach using the term, "enhance and sharpen".  Original image is in Supporting Documents section, Oct. 8, 2026. 

"Final Tribute paid Robert Brach", Boonville Herald, Boonville, NY, December 18, 1947, pg. 1

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118509499/robert-brach: accessed May 1, 2026), memorial page for Robert Brach (4 Aug 1922–22 Oct 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 118509499, citing Saint Joseph's Cemetery, Boonville, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by Karen Dwyer (contributor 47414733).

Dad's FAG - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95526311/jacob-brach: accessed May 1, 2026), memorial page for Jacob Brach (1903–1942), Find a Grave Memorial ID 95526311, citing Saint Joseph's Cemetery, Boonville, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by Karen Dwyer (contributor 47414733).

Frederick J. Brach Obituary accessed on May 2, 2026 at https://www.trainorfuneralhome.com/obituaries/frederick-j-brach

"Military Rites Conducted for Pfc. Brach", Rome Sentinel, Rome, NY, December 15, 1947, pg. 9.

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 00981; Reel: 91

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

National Archives at Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Applications for Headstones For U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941; NAID: 596118; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 01; Assembly District: 01; City: Leyden; County: Lewis; Page: 6

"Soldier's Body Enroute Home", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, November 27, 1947, pg. 45

Sophia Brach Obituary, Boonville Herald, Boonville, NY, May 5, 1982, pg. 4.

Year: 1940; Census Place: Leyden, Lewis, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02622; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 25-17

Supporting Documents