Renaissance Marquis Resident Herb Barnum Was Co-Pilot to 5-Star U.S. Army General Omar Bradley in World War II

ROME, Ga. (February 17, 2016) – Mr. Herb Barnum and his wife, Annette, have been a part of the Renaissance Marquis Assisted Living family in Rome, Ga. since June, 2014. Over the past two years, he has enlightened us with some of his incredible life experiences.

Mr. Barnum served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a pilot from 1943-1955 and was eventually a captain. For four years of his service, he was the co-pilot for U.S. Army Five-Star General Omar Bradley, one of the most highly distinguished senior officers in World War II. Bradley ultimately commanded 43 divisions and 1.3 million men, the largest number of American soldiers to have ever served under a single U.S. field commander. Mr. Barnum flew the general wherever he needed to go, whenever he needed to go somewhere.

“I was putting myself through college at Clarkson Tech in Potsdam, N.Y., when someone told me I wouldn’t make it through the war without being drafted. So I decided to sign up because that would give me a better pick of what I would be able to do in the war. I knew I wanted to be a pilot, so I picked that,” Mr. Barnum said.

Mr. Barnum attended Air Force training school in Texas for several months to receive his pilot’s license. A few months later he arrived in England right after D-Day and was assigned as the co-pilot to Gen. Bradley because he was handy. Barnum said, “There was a special plane made for Gen. Bradley. It had a meeting room in it and a jeep in the back. Sometimes we would use the jeep to drive him from the plane to his meeting if he needed us to.” Mr. Barnum enjoyed the experience of flying Gen. Bradley around. “Thankfully we never crashed or got shot at,” Barnum said.

Mr. Barnum told us, “I eventually decided I didn’t want to be in the war anymore. So I left and went back to school.” Mr. Barnum went on to receive an Engineering Degree from Georgia Tech. After school Mr. Barnum worked as an engineer, designing sewage and water treatment plants. He eventually retired with his wife, Annette, in Rome, GA., where the engineering office is located.

In addition to his engineering career, Mr. Barnum also had a passion for music and became involved in local musical groups. He was a member of the Rome Symphony Orchestra for 20 years. He was also a member of a Civil War re-enactment band in Rome, The Eighth Regiment Band, for 20 years. “I love music. I like playing anything that makes noise, especially if it’s a percussion instrument,” Barnum said.

Mr. Barnum enjoys watching baseball, basketball, football and enjoys playing golf. As a musician, he played bass drum, bells and triangle. “Mr. Barnum enjoys talking to other residents about music and the war,” Marty Cagle, Renaissance Marquis Assisted Living’s Life Enrichment Coordinator, stated.

He and Annette have been married for 36 years. Together, they have four children and 13 grandchildren. Cagle said, “The Barnums are a very sweet and friendly couple. We have enjoyed having them here with us the past couple of years. It’s been great to hear them share some interesting stories that they have.”

Mr. Barnum said that he really enjoys living at Renaissance Marquis. “The people here are nice and they treat us very well. It’s like being on a great vacation all the time,” he said.

About Renaissance Marquis

Situated on 11 beautiful acres at 3126 Cedartown Hwy SW, Renaissance Marquis is an assisted living and personal care home in Rome, Ga., that offers independent living, assisted living and Alzheimer’s care services in a safe, attentive, homelike atmosphere. The facility, which is conveniently accessible to all points in Northwest Georgia, is committed to serving the greatest generation with honor, respect, faith and integrity. More information is available at renaissancemarquis.com or by calling (706) 295-0014.

Renaissance Marquis is part of a family of senior living communities throughout the Southeast owned and/or operated by Legacy Senior Services, LLC, of Cleveland, Tenn. The parent company specializes in offering independent living, assisted living, and Alzheimer’s care services. It was founded in 2002 by Barry Ray and Bryan Cook, senior living industry veterans. More information is available at legacyss.com.