Guardsman’s faith, big grin remembered
Posted on Wednesday, January 31, 2007
A poster-sized photograph of Sgt. 1 st Class John “Gary” Brown greeted those filing into the Agape Church on Tuesday to honor the Arkansas National Guardsman who died in Iraq on Jan. 20.
Like the snapshots of Brown as a strapping teenager, a mustached young Army soldier and later a doting father that lined the entryway and flashed on television screens above the stage, the larger picture showed Brown with a broad smile.
One by one, friends and relatives who came to the podium of the packed sanctuary in west Little Rock recalled Brown’s boyish, infectious, ear-to-ear grin.
Larry Brown, the dead guardsman’s twin, recalled his brother smiling even as the two talked about how he might not make it back.
“Never forget that smile,” Lt. Col. John Payne told the uniformed soldiers who packed row upon row of pews, joining hundreds who attended the funeral. Payne noted that any of the soldiers might one day make the same sacrifice that Brown did. “He had a very deep faith in God. There’s no doubt in my mind that that’s where that smile came from.” The 43-year-old was one of three Arkansas soldiers from the Bravo Company, 185 th Aviation Regiment of Arkansas National Guard’s 77 th Aviation Brigade who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash. Capt. Michael Taylor, 40, and 1 st Sgt. Tom Warren, 48, both of North Little Rock, were also killed in the crash. The men were part of a four-member crew flying the aircraft.
All 12 soldiers aboard were killed in the crash, which took place near Tarrafa Village northeast of Baghdad. A military official told the Associated Press that the helicopter may have been shot down.
On Tuesday, even as those gathered for Brown’s funeral dabbed their eyes and clung to each other, they spoke of celebrating Brown’s life, not of mourning his death.
His brother, the Rev. Phil Brown, said he was thankful that Gary Brown spent the last two weeks of his life on leave, doing activities such as grilling with his family, rooting for the Razorbacks and even running errands in preparation for his return to Iraq.
Gary Brown joined the Army in 1983. His first tour of duty was in Kuwait during operation Desert Storm. His National Guard unit has been in Iraq since September.
Forty-seven soldiers with Arkansas ties — including 20 with the Arkansas National Guard — have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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