Edward Dean Brown, Jr
Birth: Mar. 21, 1940 Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
Death: Jul. 29, 1965, Vietnam.
US Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Edward Dean Brown Jr. was 25 years old and was married. It was reported that Edward died when his plane crashed. Between 1964 and 1972, eighty-three Crusader Aircraft were either lost or destroyed by enemy fire. Another 109 required major rebuilding. 145 Crusader pilots were recovered; 57 were not. Twenty of these pilots were captured and released.
The other 43 remained missing at the end of the war. The breakdown of those not recovered includes Lt. Edward D. Brown. He was a pilot assigned to Fighter Squadron 191 onboard the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. On July 29, 1965 he launched in his F8E Crusader aircraft on a strike mission over South Vietnam. The mission would take him into the Delta region of South Vietnam, in Vinh Binh Province near the city of Phu Vinh. On a strafing pass, Brown’s aircraft was seen to impact the ground. No evidence of ejection attempt was observed, and it was felt that if Brown went down with his plane, no remains were recoverable.
Hostile fire was observed in the vicinity. Brown was classified Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered. Edward Brown is listed with honor among the missing because his remains were never returned to the country he fought for. He was awarded The Bronze Star Medal, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Good Conduct Medal and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters. Burial: Honolulu ABMC Memorial, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii. Plot: Courts of the Missing Cenotaph.
(Source: Posted with permission of Tom & Jim Reece, #46857744; finding NC Vietnam KIA/MIA’s gravesites
; Reconfigured and submitted by: Ron Yates)
