William Perry Brown Jr. (December 18, 1923 – February 24, 1952) was a highly decorated

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

aviator. He was a flying ace and a recipient of two

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

es and was killed in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

World War II

William P. Brown was born in

Lovelady, Texas Lovelady is a town in Houston County, Texas, United States. The population was 570 at the 2020 census. History Lovelady was founded by investors of the Houston & Great Northern Railroad as a railway line was built through a land grant of Cyrus L ...

, on December 18, 1923. On September 5, 1942, he enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

under the Aviation Cadet Program. He was commissioned in the Marines as a Second Lieutenant on November 16, 1943, and sent to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, where he attended

F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contract ...

Combat Marine Fighter Operation Training. Afterwards, he was assigned to Marine Fighting Squadron 462 (VMF-462) at Marine Corps Air Station El Centro, California. Brown was sent overseas where he was ultimately assigned to Marine Fighting Squadron 311 (VMF-311) during the

battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

in April 1945. On April 28, he shot down two Japanese planes. Just six days later on May 4, Brown personally shot down four Japanese planes in four minutes and earned the title of

ace An ace is a playing card, Dice, die or domino with a single Pip (counting), pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit (cards), suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large a ...

as well as his first Navy Cross. He scored a total of seven aerial victories during the battle and was the leading ace of his squadron. Brown then was briefly stationed at

Peleliu Peleliu (or Beliliou) is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu, along with two small islands to its northeast, forms one of the sixteen states of Palau. The island is notable as the location of the Battle of Peleliu in World War II. H ...

and was there when the war ended. He was also awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses during the war.

Post-World War II

Brown was then assigned as a flight instructor at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in December 1945. He married in 1947 and had two daughters with his wife. In September 1947, he was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California and remained there until January 1950. He attended numerous courses afterwards before deploying to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. His son was born three months after his death.

Korean War and death

On February 6, 1952,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Brown left the United States and arrived in Korea on February 15, where he was assigned to the

1st Marine Aircraft Wing The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is an aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps that serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. The wing is headquartered at Camp Foster on the island of Okinawa, Japan. Activ ...

. Just nine days later, on February 24, Brown was temporarily attached to Marine Fighting Squadron 323 (VMF-323) and took part in an eight plane strike against enemy railroads and bridges in

Sariwon, North Korea Sariwŏn () is the capital of North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Population The city's population as of 2008 is 307,764. Administrative divisions Sariwŏn is divided into 31 '' tong'' (neighbourhoods) and 9 '' ri'' (villages): Healthcar ...

. He successfully dropped a 1,000 pound bomb on a rail line when he spotted an enemy truck convoy entering a heavily defended supply facility. He unhesitatingly pressed a

strafing Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such ...

attack on the convoy while taking continuous anti-aircraft fire. Despite his plane taking catastrophic hits and bursting into flames, he continued his dive, firing his guns until his plane crashed and exploded in the middle of the convoy. William P. Brown's body was never recovered. For his actions during his last combat mission, Brown was posthumously awarded his second Navy Cross. Several

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

s have been erected in his honor, including one in his hometown.

Awards and Decorations

1st Navy Cross citation

Citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Second Lieutenant William Perry Brown, Jr., United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Pilot of a Fighter Plane in Marine Fighting Squadron THREE HUNDRED ELEVEN (VMF-311), Marine Air Group THIRTY-ONE (MAG-31), FOURTH Marine Aircraft Wing, in aerial combat against enemy Japanese forces off Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, on 4 May 1945. Leading his division on a combat air patrol, Second Lieutenant Brown sighted a flight of eleven enemy planes. Immediately giving battle, he fought his plane gallantly to shoot down four of the hostile craft and, by his expert flight leadership, contributed materially to the success of his division in destroying the remaining eight Japanese planes. His superb airmanship, courage and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

2nd Navy Cross citation