Welcome to our member spotlight

Jim Brandenburg, a founding member of Post 246.

He only fell out of an airplane once. Jim Brandenburg wasn’t in the Air Force, but he made 15 plus jumps while in a skydiving club. They went according to plan. “I got involved with the club while stationed with the Army at Tobyhanna Army Depot in eastern Pennsylvania,” Brandenburg recalls. “I was in the basement and bored with the day-to-day pharmaceutical work I was doing. In this particular jump the jumpmaster was standing in front of me instead of behind, I reached for the rail, missed and fell out of the plane. It took a lot of effort to stop my tumbling, but I did and got down safely. Another time the wind was really bad and blew me about. It later took me four hours to untangle my parachute in the hallway. “Sometimes we would jump with West Point cadets in the New York area, or sometimes they would come to Pennsylvania. I had several chances to tour New York.” Brandenburg, a McCall, ID native, had tried to enlist in 1965 but they stamped him 4F due to a hip problem. But a short time later they drafted him and labeled him 1Y (Non-Hazardous Duty) and sent him off to basic at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO and then pharmacy school at Brooks Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, in San Antonio, TX. Then it was off to PA. When he was due to be discharged, he offered to re-enlist if they would send him where it wanted to go; but they declined...so he was a civilian again. “I went back to McCall and then to the University of Idaho studying history and political science. I got involved with the wood industry and never finished. First, I was with Brown Lumber. It was bought by Boise Cascade, and they sent me to Aberdeen, WA where I stayed several years and then I moved around with several companies...always maintaining bandsaws in the mills. My last employer was Bennett Lumber where I retired.” Brandenburg first joined the American Legion in Aberdeen. His membership stayed there until Randy Martz chartered Post #246 in Clarkston. After retirement and moving to Clarkston in 1999, he transferred his membership to the local Post. “I think I was the third or fourth Commander of the Post and I served for about 10 years,” Brandenburg said. “I’ve now been in the Legion for 41 years! Randy and I are the only two left of the charter members.”

Jim passed away in 2024. All the members of Post 246 miss his presence and guidance. Both the post and our American Legion Baseball Team recently received a large donations from Jim's estate. Jim was always thinking of Post 246 and American Legion Baseball.

Thanks and RIP, Jim Brandenburg!