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LEWIS COUNTY HERALD, HOHENWALD, TENNESSEE
Brown family volunteer to serve our country
Joseph (J. R.) Page
This article appeared in the Lewis County Herald April 12, 1945.
Brown Brothers in Service
The picture above is Jess Albert Brown and Helen Grover Brown with their three little sons, born and raised in Lewis County, Tennessee and later went on to serve their country in World War II. Jess, Jesse Granville, Herby Mason, Helen and Moritz Pryne. All five are now resting in Downey Cemetery. Granville Brown
Pryne Brown
Herby Brown
MSgt. DAVID J. PELUSO Master Sergeant David J. Peluso is a native of Hohenwald. He enlisted in the Army as a Cavalry Scout in January, 1997. He has completed 64 college credits in his pursuit of a Bachelor Degree in Social and Criminal Justice from Ashford University. He has attended all levels of the Non-Commissioned Officer Education System pertinent to his rank. He has held every enlisted leadership position from Scout Team Leader to First Sergeant. Master Sergeant Peluso has served in a variety of assignments, including 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Dragoons), Fort Polk, Louisiana; 3rd Squadron, 4th United States Calvary Regiment (Sabers), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; 1st,
The above three sons of Sheriff and Mrs. Jesse Brown are doing their bit for the cause of humanity. Pryne has been overseas for about three years, Herby is now in Germany and Granville is in training with the Air Force in Texas.
Lynn Brown 2nd, and 4th Brigades, 4th Infantry Division (Buffalo Soldiers and Deeds, Not Words), Fort Hood, Texas; and 1-307th Training Support Battalion (Barbarians), Fort Dix, New Jersey. Master Sergeant Peluso’s awards and decorations include the Combat Action Badge, two Bronze Star Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, five Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, Good Conduct Medal 4th award, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal with five stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with the Numeral Three, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral Five, NATO Medal, Air Assault Badge and is a Senior Spur Holder. He is also a member of the Honorable Order of Saint George (Bronze Medallion).
Aaron Brown Moritz Pryne Brown enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps September 11, 1940. Stationed at Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Georgia, when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. During World War II, he served in North Africa, Britain and nine months in Soviet Union (Ukraine) with USAAC engineers, building two air bases for Allied bombers to refuel after bombing missions from Sgt. Neil P. Brown Britain over Nazi Germany. Pvt E2 Zachary Galentin Post war, he became a memat Fort Campbell still serving ber of U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps his country. (CIC). His wife, Evelyn Dees Brown, and Chester A. Beckett, son-in-law of Granchildren accompanied him to all of his duty ville Brown, served in the U.S. Air Force stations beginning with Germany in the from June 30, 1956 until July 2, 1960. Chet years shortly after World War II. Followed was Airman 3rd Class stationed with the by stateside duty at Ft. Lawton, Washing- 1999th AACS Squadron at Fort Campbell ton, then overseas stations in Japan and and Sewart Air Force base in Tennessee. He France. After France, two years at U.S. was an air traffic controller. Courthouse in Nashville, then another asCherry and Chet were married Novemsignment to Germany. After nearly three ber 25, 1960. He is also resting in Downey years in Germany, he was transferred to Cemetery in Hohenwald. Ft. Bragg, North Carolina where he retired from the Army on April 30, 1971. Michael Herby Mason Brown entered the Ralph Brown U.S. Army October 19, 1943, serving in the Michael European Theater. He was with the 118th Ralph Brown, son Infantry stationed in Germany during of Moritz Pryne World War II. He received a Bronze Star as Brown and Evelyn well as other commendations and was disD. Brown, enlisted charged April 16, 1946. in the Army FebHerby was married to Ada Brown ruary 1967, servMilan. They had one daughter, Gaye Huding in Vietnam for son. For several years, Gaye and her cousin, 20 months from Patty Hedge, and Herby’s great-grandson, December 1967 until September 1969. He Quenton Hudson, have placed American was with Scout Platoon, 1st Battalion, 69th flags on the graves of veterans at Downey Armored Regiment Operations Area CenCemetery in Hohenwald. tral Highlands. He separated from Army Jesse Granville Brown entered the upon completion of Vietnam service. He reU.S. Army Air Corps December 31, 1943. He ceived a Purple Heart, among other awards. was stationed at Ellington Air Force Field in Texas. He reached the rank of Corporal Sgt. Neil Pryne Brown, grandson of and was an airplane and engine mechanic. Moritz P. and Evelyn D. Brown, was inThis picture is my daddy and me in San An- ducted into the U.S. Army Reserve Octotonio, Texas. I was two. He was discharged ber 1997. In 1998-2003, Apache helicopter on November 3, 1945. repairer. Presently Blackhawk helicopter Lynn Granville Brown, son of flight crew chief. In August 2009 through Granville and Elise Humphreys, entered August 2010, deployed to Cap Beuhring, the U.S. Air Force in 1964 during Vietnam. Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was like his daddy and was a radar techPrivate E2 Zachary P. Galentin, grandnician. He served stateside and was dis- son of Moritz P. Brown and Evelyn D. charged in 1968. Brown, enlisted in the Army January 2011. His son, Aaron Brown, is currently Presently stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas as a serving our country in the U.S. Army. He Cavalry Scout with the 7th Calvary Diviwas inducted into service on November 11, sion. 2001. Thanks to my cousins (John, Michele The picture at top is Aaron when he and Mike) for the information and pictures. and his unit returned from Iraq at Ground Working on this article, I found out how litZero in New York. Aaron has just recently tle we sometimes know about our cousins returned from Afghanistan. He is stationed in our fast paced world.
February 24, 1943 I got my notice to come to serve my country. After going to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, I was then shipped out to Fort Lewis, Washington. I went into 114th Inf. D Co., which is a heavy-duty weapons company. I was at Fort Lewis from March until April when I got a furlough home. When I returned, we went on maneuvers. The maneuvers were in apple country and we enjoyed that. When we returned to camp they asked for volunteers for the paratroopers. They were being trained in Fort Benning, Georgia and that is Columbus, GA. That is pretty close to Hohenwald. I decided I would join the paratroopers and get closer to home. I completed the jump school and everything worked out fine, I got my wings and a furlough home. This was a special furlough. Juanita and I had decided the next time I come home we would get married. So I made a big jump that time, I got married. Returning, I thought I was going to be “A MATTER THAT MATTERS” . . .
“OLD GLORY” BY A NNA L ANDIS
I am the American flag. Listen to me and I’ll tell you my story. My colors are red, white and blue. I have a field of 50 stars and 13 stripes. I am also known as “The Stars and Stripes” and “Old Glory.” I am honored to be in all public places. I go to schools where the children pledge allegiance to me. I attend all sporting events and stand proud and fly high as they sing my song “The Star Spangled Banner.” I am honored when I go by in a parade and my people salute me. Yes, I’m the American Flag. I served under 40-some presidents. I was in peace and war. I was at the battle of Bunker Hill and Valley Forge where I saw the soldiers starve and freeze to death. I was with General Washington as he crossed the Delaware. I was in the Civil War where I saw father and son, brother and brother fight against each other to save the Union. I was there when they freed the slaves. I was at Gettysburg with President Lincoln, where in a few minutes he gave the most famous speech ever heard, “The Gettysburg Address.” I went along to the trenches in France in World War I, the beaches of Normandy in World War II, the day which lives in infamy at Pearl Harbor, the sands of Iwo Jima, where a few soldiers planted me in the sand to fly high with honor over them. I was in many wars and places with the people of my country. The farthest distance I have traveled is to the moon where I’m also flying high to honor my country. I am the American flag. I stand for freedom, but freedom has it’s price. Freedom doesn’t
LEWIS COUNTY HERALD, HOHENWALD, TENNESSEE
shipped over seas but I heard that truck drivers were needed there at Fort Benning. I said that was right down my alley because I went to the CC Camp when I was 16 out in Salem, Oregon. That is what I did out there, drove big trucks. I told them I would like to take the truck-driving test. When he carried me out for the tests, he said I could handle it pretty good and they were signing me on to the parachute training regiment. My job was when they took the paratroopers out in the plane and dropped them out, I was to go pick them up and bring them back in like they did me when I got my wings. Hearing that I would be at Fort Benning for a while, I wrote Juanita and told her to come on down there and I’ll have us a place to live. I drew separate rations off the post for almost a year and she lived with me there. Then time came for me to go overseas, they gave us a furlough home. She stayed with my parents until I returned from over seas. There are some good things in service but there are more bad ones than good. From California I caught a ship to Luzon and jointed my outfit. Then we all moved in to Zambonga. That is where they started their first battle. We fought there for I guess probably four months or so. Then they pulled us back and pulled us around to the other side of the same island. I was driving a truck hauling ammunition to
prevail without tyranny. I was disgraced many a time. I was spit on, stepped on, shot at and burned. I saw racism and other violence in my country, but I have overcome, for I fly over America the greatest country there is. A land of freedom, liberty, opportunities, a place to dream and live your dreams, a land of bounteous blessings, a land of milk and honey. A land to worship your Lord and Master. If we would just open our eyes and hearts and believe in God and ourselves we could move mountains. What a great country I stand for. I’m proud of my patriots. May they be proud of me! I am the American flag. I am at the boot camp where the morning reveille is played. I am the cover over the casket when one of my servicemen who have served their country reach their final resting place. And I’ll fly high with honor while taps are played for those who have served their country and have paid the price. They gave their all so that I may fly free. Yes, I am the American flag. May I long wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave. God Bless my Country! God Bless America! Long may She live! Written in honor of those who have served and died for their country.
________________
Anna Landis of Herndon, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania wrote this tribute to the American flag in 2000. Her copyrighted work has been honored by many people in public office, including the President of the United States of America. She died in 2007. Her memorable work is reprinted here with the permission of her husband, William R. Landis.
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the front line. They called it the weapons carrier. When I would go up in the morning I would carry a load of ammunition. Every trip I had one soldier who rode shotgun. The same man stayed with me just about he whole time we were out there. We would go up and unload the ammunition. The medics and the ambulances would bring back the soldiers who got wounded. But if they got killed, that was Page’s job. I hauled a lot of dead soldiers. I didn’t pick them up off the road or anything like that. Their company and company commander would go through and collect the belongings the soldiers had. The only personal thing for me was their dog tag. I turned it in when we got back down to the beach. I did that for the rest of the time I was in service until I was sent to Japan. That is one job you don’t get used to. The first one I had to pick up was a friend of mine. I had met him when we first went it. My truck didn’t arrive so they kept me with I Company and he was one of the line soldiers. He liked me and I liked him. Some way or other he got a parachute and someone made him a shirt out of that camouflage color material. I went up with a load of ammunition, mortars and stuff. They had a gun placement on the crossroads there. When I went by he give me a wave. I went on up and unloaded the ammunition and mortar shells. When I come back through
they run out to the road and said, “Page, we got some boys you need to carry down.” I looked back as they loaded him and I knew it was my friend. I ask if it was and they said yes. And that hurts. You don’t get used to hauling dead people. I finally just – all I would – I never would – all I would do is gather up the tags and go down to the place where there were people who took care of the dead. I would just hand them the papers and not ask who or anything like that. Then we went to Hiroshima, Japan. Hiroshima wasn’t a pretty site to see. Before we got there, I thought holes would be blown everywhere and things like that. Instead the town was flat. The bomb didn’t blow holes, nothing like that. It melted everything. Around the edge where the people were living, it was pitiful to see. Their skin was just falling off. Instead of talking about dropping hydrogen bombs, they need to get rid of all of them and do it as quickly as they can. It was something to see. But Harry Truman ended the war. If he hadn’t ended that war, there would have been a lot like me over there that never would have come back to Hohenwald. They dropped one bomb at Hiroshima on the 6th and on the 9th they dropped one at Nagasaki. The Japanese said we’ve had enough. And that made everybody feel good cause we knew we were going to get to come back home.
the sons of Clayburn and Robbie Lee Smith
HAROLD W. SMITH
U.S. Army Vet - Vietnam U.S. Navy Vet - Vietnam U.S. Army National Guard Vet
JOE C. SMITH U.S. Navy Vet
CARL A. SMITH
U.S. Army Vet U.S. Navy Vet U.S. Army Guard Vet U.S. Marine Corps Desert Storm Vet Retired 23 years of service
Happy Veterans Day
God Bless America and all our troops