Joseph K. Bratton

Joseph K. Bratton (April 4, 1926 in St. Paul, Minnesota – June 2, 2007 in Virginia) was an American Army officer and nuclear engineer. He graduated third in the class of 1948 at the United States Military Academy and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers. He served with an engineer battalion in Austria in 1949-52 and with the divisional 13th Engineer Combat Battalion in Korea in 1953-54, both before and after the armistice there. He later commanded the 24th Engineer Battalion, 4th Armored Division, in Germany (1964-65) and the 159th Engineer Group in Vietnam (1969-70). Bratton also held numerous staff assignments. He was a military assistant to Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor in 1967-69 and Secretary to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1970-72. Having received a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1959, Bratton served as Chief of Nuclear Activities, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE), in 1972-75 and Director of Military Applications at the U.S. Department of Energy in 1975-79. His last assignments before becoming Chief of Engineers in October 1980 were as Division Engineer of the Corps' South Atlantic Division (1979-80) and then briefly as Deputy Chief of Engineers.

Bratton died on June 2, 2007 of an aneurysm, at the age of 81 in Virginia. His wife had preceded him in death in 2006. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/12/AR2007061201934_pf.html Washington Post obituary] ]

Awards and decorations

His military awards included;
*the Defense Distinguished Service Medal
*the Army Distinguished Service Medal
*the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters
*the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster

ee also

*List of Korean War veterans who are recipients of the Bronze Star

References

"This article contains public domain text from" cite web |title=Lieutenant General Joseph K. Bratton
work=Portraits and Profiles of Chief Engineers |url=http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/history/coe4.htm#48 |accessmonthday=August 20 |accessyear=2005