Howard Gallaway Brown was born in Tupelo, MS, on 12 January 1927, the third of four sons of Dr. and Mrs. George L. Brown. The days of his boyhood and youth were lived in Tupelo.

His high school days were spent at Tupelo in preparation for entrance to West Point. In high school, he was an outstanding guard on the football team and played in the school band. After high school he attended Mississippi State College for a year prior to entering the U.S. Military Academy in 1945.

Howard entered West Point determined to carry on the military tradition of his family. His grandfather fought with the Confederacy in the "War Between the States." His father fought in the Spanish-American War and served as a medical officer in World War I. An uncle and two cousins are graduates of his Alma Mater.

Howard entered the Academy with the Class of 1949. His plebe days were interrupted when he received a knee injury playing football that resulted in his being awarded a large star to wear on his bathrobe. After a few months at home, he joined the Class of 1950 as a member of Company L-2 in January 1947.

Shortly after his arrival in the company Howard was tagged with the nicknames "Tupe" and "Brownie," both of which received equal usage. His sincere selflessness and friendliness, his sense of humor, and his winning smile immediately won the friendship of everyone in the company. Although those were the most apparent of his attributes, close association with him as a roommate for three years revealed his wholehearted application of effort to attain his goal of becoming a thoroughly competent officer.

The lighter side of his cadet days was devoted to frequent waving of the Confederate flag during discussions of whether or not the South would rise again. He played the harmonica both well and loud. He participated in intramural athletics, and was a sprinter on the Corps swimming team during his First Class year. When graduation rolled around, “Tupe” was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. His graduation leave was divided between home, a fishing trip to Canada, and a trip to Louisiana, before reporting to Camp Stoneman for shipment to Okinawa.

Instead of a boat to Okinawa, he took a plane to Japan and reached the front lines of Korea on 3 September 1950. He was assigned as 1st platoon leader of Company A, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He joined his unit in the midst of a North Korean break-through during some of the roughest touch-and-go fighting of the Korean War. He weathered the last few days of the Pusan Perimeter in which the enemy launched numerous attacks. In the allied offensive after the Inchon landing, he was killed by small arms fire on 22 September while attacking a heavily fortified enemy hill. Regimental Commander Colonel John H. Michaelis [later General, Honoree Record ID 290], wrote his parents:

“As a member of this command your son was liked by all his associates. He was an excellent soldier performing all tasks assigned him in a cheerful and efficient manner. winning the commendation of his immediate superiors and the respect of his comrades. News of his death came as a real shock to all who knew him, and his loss will be felt keenly in the organization.”

When his personal effects were sent home, his USMA class ring was not among his belongings. Months later his ring was found on the body of a dead North Korean and turned over to a classmate who sent it to his parents.

Medals, Awards & Badges

Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge

Burial

Second Lieutenant Howard Gallaway Brown now rests at the Tupelo Memorial Park Cemetery in Tupelo, MS.

Some of the information in this bio is from Cullum 17942, U.S. Military Academy.