MEMORIAL DAY 2010

DURING THE NIGHT OF MARCH 17-18, 2010, -- THE

UNITED STATES AND THE GREAT STATE OF ARKANSAS

LOST A TRUE AMERICAN HERO -- KILLED IN ACTION IN

THE AFGANISTANI THEATER OF OPERATIONS.

ADAM BROWN, -- A NATIVE OF HOT SPRINGS,

ARKANSAS , -- ENTERED THE NAVY IN AUGUST OF 1998 ,

AT THE RELATIVELY MATURE AGE OF 24 YEARS, --

WITH THE SINGLE PURPOSE OF BECOMING A MEMBER

OF THE TOUGHEST -- AND ONE OF THE MOST ELITE

MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE WORLD, -- “THE

UNITED STATES NAVY SEALS”.

AFTER TWO EXTRAORDINARILY HARD AND GRUELING

YEARS OF SOME OF THE TOUGHEST TRAINING IN THE

MILITARY, -- ADAM BROWN HAD ACCOMPLISHED THAT

GOAL OF QUALIFYING TO PROUDLY WEAR THE

TRIDENT BADGE OF THE NAVY SEALS.

HIS FIRST OPERATIONAL ASSIGNMENT WAS TO NAVY

SEAL TEAM FOUR, -- THEN ONE YEAR LATER TO SEAL

TEAM TWO HOME BASED IN VIRGINIA .

IN 2006, -- AFTER EVEN MORE RIGOROUS SPECIAL

WARFARE TRAINING, -- ADAM WAS SELECTED FOR A

SPECIAL DUTY ASSIGNMENT TO A “PRIORITY ONE”

NAVY SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND, -- “GOLD

SQUADRON” OF “THE NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE

DEVELOPMENT GROUP”.

AFTER COMPLETING NUMEROUS HIGHLY CLASSIFIED
DEPLOYMENTS AROUND THE WORLD DURING
NEXT FOUR YEARS,
-- WHERE ANY NAVY SEAL AND HIS FELLOW TEAM
MEMBERS WOULD BE IN CONSTANT PHYSICAL
DANGER, -- BE THEY TRAINING OR ACTIVELY
ENGAGING AN ENEMY
-- NOW “CHIEF PETTY OFFICER ADAM BROWN” ONCE

AGAIN WAS DEPLOYED ON A SPECIAL OPERATIONS

MISSION IN AFGANISTAN.

THE NIGHT OF MARCH 17, 2010, -- CHIEF PETTY OFFICER

BROWN FOUND HIMSELF WITH HIS SMALL TACTICAL

SEAL TEAM PURSUING A “HIGH VALUE” INSURGENT

LEADER KNOWN TO BE PLANNING LARGE SCALE

ATTACKS ON NATO COALITION TROOPS.

AFTER A LONG NIGHT PATROL THROUGH ENEMY

CONTROLLED MOUNTAINS, -- ADAM’S UNIT

ENCOUNTERED STIFF ENEMY RESISTANCE AS THEY
MOVED THROUGH A LOCAL VILLAGE .

WHILE ADAM’S TEAMMATES MOVED LOCAL WOMEN

AND CHILDREN OUT OF THE CROSSFIRE, -- AN ENEMY

SHOOTER BEGAN TO FIRE FROM INSIDE A NEARBY

CHIEF PETTY OFFICER BROWN QUICKLY REPOSITIONED

HIMSELF ATOP AN ADJACENT BUILDING AND

MANEUVERED TO PROTECT HIS TEAMMATES

WHO WERE TAKING DIRECT FIRE FROM THE SNIPER.

AS ADAM MOVED INTO A POSITION TO ENGAGE THE

ENEMY, -- HE KNOWINGLY EXPOSED HIMSELF AND WAS

STRUCK BY ENEMY GUNFIREADAM’S TEAMMATES QUICKLY
ENGAGED AND ELIMINATED THE INSURGENT LEADER AND
THE REST OF THE ENEMY COMBATANTS, -- AND IMMEDIATELY

BEGAN TO PROVIDE MEDICAL AID TO ADAM.

BUT, ADAM’S WOUNDS WERE SEVERE -- AND SOON

PROVED TO BE FATAL.

AS CHIEF PETTY OFFICER BROWN’S COMMANDING

OFFICER LATER WROTE, -- AND I QUOTE -- “ADAM WAS

A MODEL SEAL, HUSBAND, AND FATHER. -- AS I

REFLECT ON HIS MANY POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES I CAN

ONLY ASPIRE TO RAISE MY SONS TO BE AS GENUINE A

MAN AS ADAM WAS. ADAM WAS LOVED LIKE A BROTHER
BY HIS TEAMMATES AND WILL BE REMEMBERED AS A TRUE

AMERICAN HERO BY ALL WHO KNEW HIM”.

END OF QUOTE.

CHIEF PETTY OFFICER BROWN IS SURVIVED BY HIS

LOVING WIFE KELLEY, -- DAUGHTER SAVANNAH , -- SON

NATHAN, -- ALL STILL RESIDING IN VIRGINIA

AND HIS PARENTS LARRY AND JANICE BROWN, --

HIS TWIN SISTER MANDA, -- AND OLDER BROTHER

SHAWN.

MAY I ASK THE MEMBERS OF ADAM’S FAMILY WHO

ARE WITH US TODAY TO JOIN ME AS WE PROUDLY

PLACE ADAM’S COMMEMORATIVE BRICK IN OUR

MEMORIAL.

Written and presented by

Major General William Page

(U. S. Army, Retired)