by Sarah Stockton

Cumberland County News

[Editor’s note: The following is a feature article published recently in the Cumberland County News by staff writer Sarah Stockton, reprinted here with permission. The subject of the article, Sam Brents, is from Albany and is a weekly contributor to the Clinton County News in a feature containing puzzles he has constructed. Brents’ weekly contribution is titled “It Puzzles Me”.]

This week, the Cumberland County News continues to honor WWII Veterans. It was a great pleasure to get to spend some time with U.S. Army Veteran, Sam Brents. His role in WWII was different from many of the veterans I have spoken with.

Mr. Brents was born on January 16, 1921. He grew up just down the road in Albany, Kentucky where he graduated from Clinton County High School. He enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 1938 where he worked three jobs to be able to attend college. His major was journalism. While he was in college, World War II began, and he dropped out during his junior year to move to Washington D.C. to be a clerk-typist for the War Department.

During this time, many dams were being built in the Kentucky and Tennessee area and Mr. Brents transferred to the Corps of Engineers and worked on site at the Dale Hollow Dam and Center Hill Dam. Having registered with the Selective Service when he was 18, Brents was drafted in 1942 and entered the U.S. Army where he went to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana for basic training.

During his tour, he was stationed at Ft. Leonardwood, Missouri where he served as company clerk for a little over two years. “I went through regular basic training, but I was fortunate to always be the company clerk,” he said. He then got word he would be going to Ft. Richardson, Alaska. “Alaska wasn’t part of the United States at this time,” he said. He explained the base in Alaska was sort of a stopping point for soldiers going to the Lucian Islands and Japan. He said he saw many men leave out and was always happy when he recognized them when they arrived back in Alaska. He continued his duties as company clerk in Alaska and although he was only a staff sergeant, he did the work of a sergeant major without the pay. “The Army was short staffed at the time, and we just did what we could to help,” Brents explained.

After nearly a year in Alaska, Brents got word he was being discharged. He and other soldiers boarded the U.S.S. Yukon bound for the states when they encountered some rocks and the ship ran aground.

The ship partially sank and some of the men fell overboard. Some were injured and some perished.

Mr. Brents, being the journalist he was aspiring to be, had his camera and actually took pictures of the ship sinking while he was still on board. After spending two days on the disabled ship, the Coast Guard was able to return the men to Anchorage, Alaska.

“A cutter had to come to the ship to take us back to the larger Coast Guard vessel because they didn’t want to get into the rocks,” Brents said. “It was February and it was very cold and several men fell in the water and died,” remembered Brents.

After returning to Alaska, Brents said they were given a choice of whether they wanted to come back by boat or to fly back.

“We all wanted to fly,” he said with a chuckle. “We didn’t want to take another chance. We all just wanted to go home.”

Brents received an honorable discharge from the Army on February 18, 1946. He returned home and began working for the Corps of Engineers again at Wolf Creek Dam.

Brents decided he would return to UK to finish his degree, and in 1947 he graduated from UK with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism.

His first job out of college was for the Portsmouth Times.

“ I had heard about the job, and went for an interview,” Brents said. “I was asked what I wanted to do, and I said anything but sports. The editor told me the only job they had available was sports editor! I took the job and came to truly love sports,” he laughed.

Brents moved to Fort Worth, Texas to do graduate work at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While there he met and married Marjorie Best. The couple moved around for several years and finally settled in Nashville, Tennessee, where Brents became the editor of Open Windows, a monthly book of devotions which is still published today by the Southern Baptist Convention.

Brents has since retired and resides at Cumberland Valley Manor where he continues to write.

He is an amazing record keeper and has chronicles of books from his life which include every important document he ever received.

Mr. Brents is also an avid puzzle maker and loves to send the puzzles to his friends and family. He is also a die hard U.K. basketball fan. Go Cats!

WWII veteran Sam Brents shown with a portrait taken during his service with the U.S. Army, and a scrapbook containing several photographs he made during the war.