Family tree of Roland L. Bragg
World Wars & Contemporary Wars
Born Roland Leon Bragg
United States Army paratrooper during World War II
Born on June 11, 1923 in Sabattus, Maine , United States
Died on January 12, 1999 in Nobleboro, Maine , United States
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Roland Leon Bragg (June 11, 1923 – January 12, 1999) was a United States Army paratrooper during World War II. Bragg was awarded the Silver Star, the United States Army's third-highest military decoration for valor in combat, for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action." Since 2025, he has been the namesake of Fort Bragg.
... Roland Leon Bragg (June 11, 1923 – January 12, 1999) was a United States Army paratrooper during World War II. Bragg was awarded the Silver Star, the United States Army's third-highest military decoration for valor in combat, for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action." Since 2025, he has been the namesake of Fort Bragg.
Early life and family
Bragg was born in 1923 in Sabattus, Maine, the son of Calvin Leroy Bragg and Ella Stevenson Bragg. His father served in the Army in World War I. As a boy during the Great Depression, Bragg helped pay the family mortgage by riding his bicycle twenty miles into resort towns to sell vegetables from his family's farm.
He graduated from Waldoboro High School in 1943. In his twenties, he was married to Barbara Picinich, whose father, Val Picinich, was a catcher for the Boston Red Sox. Bragg and his wife had three children and eleven grandchildren.
World War II
Bragg enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1943 during World War II and was stationed at Fort Bragg. He served as a toxic gas handler from July 1943 to November 1945. In August 1944, Bragg deployed to England. Bragg was a paratrooper in the Army with the rank of private first class, serving with the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge. Bragg took part in approximately 30 jumps during the war.
According to remembrances from his children, Bragg was briefly held prisoner by German troops. A German soldier recognized him as a fellow Mason and let him go.
During the Battle of the Bulge, Bragg, along with First Lieutenant McClain (a forward observer from the 466th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion), drove a captured German ambulance 20 miles while under continuous enemy fire to transport four wounded soldiers to an Allied hospital in Belgium, saving at least one of the soldiers' lives. As a result of the enemy fire, Bragg was wounded in action with a light burn, but was able to return to Flamierge with a supply party later that night.
According to his family, Bragg was offered a military promotion for his efforts, but he wouldn't accept it.
Later life
After returning home from military service, Bragg owned and operated an auto body shop and was the owner of Nobleboro Building Movers for 25 years. He was active in his local community, serving as a local selectman in Nobleboro, school committeeman in Nobleboro, volunteer firefighter, chairman of the local citizens committee, president of Nobleboro Grange, planning board member, and member of a historical preservation committee. He also volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America and Damariscotta American Legion. During his time serving as an elected member of the Nobleboro Select Board, Bragg was “instrumental” in the establishment of the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station.
In the 1970s, Bragg's company was hired to aid in the historic restoration of Granite Hall Block. In 1974, Bragg successfully maneuvered a precariously positioned tractor-trailer carrying 27,000 pounds of tuna and swordfish off the dock of the Muscongus Bay Fisheries plant in Moxie Cove, Round Pond, a process that took six hours; he was credited with saving thousands of pounds of cargo. In 1975, he donated his services to move the historic First Baptist Church of Nobleboro to its current location, and aided in its restoration. In 1978, he led efforts for the rebuilding of the Five Islands Wharf in Georgetown after a severe storm.
After retiring in 1984, Bragg ran a portable sawmill business. In 1986, he faced a lawsuit from clients whose house had been damaged in Bragg's earlier moving of their house, and were unsatisfied with the payment provided by insurance. In 1988, Bragg helped lead celebrations of Nobleboro's bicentennial which occurred during his tenure as selectman. This included a formal flag presentation and ceremony with Governor of Maine John R. McKernan Jr.
Reunion with soldier
Bragg lived with post-traumatic stress disorder after his military service. He did not know if he had saved his friend in the war until 1993, when he received a letter from John Martz, a soldier he had in fact saved that day, writing that he was forever grateful to him. The two men reunited at Martz's home in California. Their reunion, where they reminisced and looked at a wartime photo album, was attended by reporters and photographers.
Death
Bragg died of cancer on January 12, 1999, at the age of 75. He received a funeral with full Masonic honors and is interred at Dunbar Cemetery in Nobleboro, Maine.
Legacy and honors
In 1945, Bragg was awarded the Silver Star for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action." He was also a recipient of the Purple Heart, World War II Victory Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, a Parachute Badge, and a Combat Infantry Badge. His name is listed as an honoree on the World War II Memorial's federal online registry.
Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg was originally named for Confederate general and slave owner Braxton Bragg, until it was renamed to "Fort Liberty" in 2023, due to an act of Congress that prohibited naming federal installations after Confederate officials. Roland L. Bragg's name was one of thousands submitted by the public before the naming commission's decision. In February 2025, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum restoring the name "Fort Bragg", this time honoring Private First Class Bragg, rather than the original namesake.
References
... Roland Leon Bragg (June 11, 1923 – January 12, 1999) was a United States Army paratrooper during World War II. Bragg was awarded the Silver Star, the United States Army's third-highest military decoration for valor in combat, for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action." Since 2025, he has been the namesake of Fort Bragg.
Early life and family
Bragg was born in 1923 in Sabattus, Maine, the son of Calvin Leroy Bragg and Ella Stevenson Bragg. His father served in the Army in World War I. As a boy during the Great Depression, Bragg helped pay the family mortgage by riding his bicycle twenty miles into resort towns to sell vegetables from his family's farm.
He graduated from Waldoboro High School in 1943. In his twenties, he was married to Barbara Picinich, whose father, Val Picinich, was a catcher for the Boston Red Sox. Bragg and his wife had three children and eleven grandchildren.
World War II
Bragg enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1943 during World War II and was stationed at Fort Bragg. He served as a toxic gas handler from July 1943 to November 1945. In August 1944, Bragg deployed to England. Bragg was a paratrooper in the Army with the rank of private first class, serving with the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge. Bragg took part in approximately 30 jumps during the war.
According to remembrances from his children, Bragg was briefly held prisoner by German troops. A German soldier recognized him as a fellow Mason and let him go.
During the Battle of the Bulge, Bragg, along with First Lieutenant McClain (a forward observer from the 466th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion), drove a captured German ambulance 20 miles while under continuous enemy fire to transport four wounded soldiers to an Allied hospital in Belgium, saving at least one of the soldiers' lives. As a result of the enemy fire, Bragg was wounded in action with a light burn, but was able to return to Flamierge with a supply party later that night.
According to his family, Bragg was offered a military promotion for his efforts, but he wouldn't accept it.
Later life
After returning home from military service, Bragg owned and operated an auto body shop and was the owner of Nobleboro Building Movers for 25 years. He was active in his local community, serving as a local selectman in Nobleboro, school committeeman in Nobleboro, volunteer firefighter, chairman of the local citizens committee, president of Nobleboro Grange, planning board member, and member of a historical preservation committee. He also volunteered with the Boy Scouts of America and Damariscotta American Legion. During his time serving as an elected member of the Nobleboro Select Board, Bragg was “instrumental” in the establishment of the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station.
In the 1970s, Bragg's company was hired to aid in the historic restoration of Granite Hall Block. In 1974, Bragg successfully maneuvered a precariously positioned tractor-trailer carrying 27,000 pounds of tuna and swordfish off the dock of the Muscongus Bay Fisheries plant in Moxie Cove, Round Pond, a process that took six hours; he was credited with saving thousands of pounds of cargo. In 1975, he donated his services to move the historic First Baptist Church of Nobleboro to its current location, and aided in its restoration. In 1978, he led efforts for the rebuilding of the Five Islands Wharf in Georgetown after a severe storm.
After retiring in 1984, Bragg ran a portable sawmill business. In 1986, he faced a lawsuit from clients whose house had been damaged in Bragg's earlier moving of their house, and were unsatisfied with the payment provided by insurance. In 1988, Bragg helped lead celebrations of Nobleboro's bicentennial which occurred during his tenure as selectman. This included a formal flag presentation and ceremony with Governor of Maine John R. McKernan Jr.
Reunion with soldier
Bragg lived with post-traumatic stress disorder after his military service. He did not know if he had saved his friend in the war until 1993, when he received a letter from John Martz, a soldier he had in fact saved that day, writing that he was forever grateful to him. The two men reunited at Martz's home in California. Their reunion, where they reminisced and looked at a wartime photo album, was attended by reporters and photographers.
Death
Bragg died of cancer on January 12, 1999, at the age of 75. He received a funeral with full Masonic honors and is interred at Dunbar Cemetery in Nobleboro, Maine.
Legacy and honors
In 1945, Bragg was awarded the Silver Star for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action." He was also a recipient of the Purple Heart, World War II Victory Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, a Parachute Badge, and a Combat Infantry Badge. His name is listed as an honoree on the World War II Memorial's federal online registry.
Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg was originally named for Confederate general and slave owner Braxton Bragg, until it was renamed to "Fort Liberty" in 2023, due to an act of Congress that prohibited naming federal installations after Confederate officials. Roland L. Bragg's name was one of thousands submitted by the public before the naming commission's decision. In February 2025, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum restoring the name "Fort Bragg", this time honoring Private First Class Bragg, rather than the original namesake.
References
Biography from Wikipedia (see original) under licence CC BY-SA 3.0
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