evolution

I can think of no better tribute to those who fought and died for American ideals than to use those liberties each and every day. I availed myself of my Second Amendment rights yesterday, and I avail myself of my First Amendment rights each and every day here.

So, here’s a warm-hearted story for Memorial Day — about an old soldier’s appearance in a Washington Memorial Day parade.

Seems par for the course, right? Well, this fellow is one of only thirty living veterans of his engagement — World War I. His name is Leroy Brown, he’s from Maryland, and he’s 103 years old, born October 7, 1901. He lied about his age to join the U.S. Navy and served in the North Atlantic aboard a sub-hunting destroyer.

CHARLOTTE HALL, Md. - Memorial Day parade organizers were considering using actors to represent veterans of World War I when they learned about 103-year-old Lloyd Brown — one of the last living veterans of the war.

Brown plans to ride in the parade Monday in Washington to represent the rest of the 4.7 million U.S. servicemen who took part in the Great War. He is one of the 30 who are still alive, according to an unofficial estimate by the
Department of Veterans Affairs.

“World War I people are getting scarce,” Brown said. “Nothing can be done about that.”

Brown was 16 when he lied about his age so he could join the Allied cause in 1918. His Maryland driver’s license still lists his birth date as October 7, 1899, instead of the correct 1901.

“Everybody was patriotic; everybody wanted to join,” Brown told The Washington Post. “Those who joined were local heroes, well received on the public streets.”

Brown still remembers patrolling the North Atlantic for enemy submarines aboard the USS New Hampshire.

He reenlisted after the war as a Navy musician, and played cello in Australia as a member of an admiral’s orchestra. He later served as a firefighter in the District of Columbia, and sold antiques in Charlotte Hall, in southern Maryland.

Brown retains enough white hair to comb. He still has a driver’s license but favors a golf cart to drive to the end of his driveway to pick up the mail.

He lives alone but his daughter, Nancy Espina, checks on him every day. Son-in-law Thomas Espina said Brown doesn’t allow anything to bother him too much, including aging.

“I don’t consider it a long life,” Brown said. “I feel as though there are a lot of people around my age.”

God bless you, Mr. Brown, and thank you. Thanks also to all American soldiers, past and present.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 30th, 2005 at 22:50 and is filed under freedom, military/defense. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.