Specialist Four Joe H. Brown (1943-1968) of Jackson, Mississippi, was a demolition specialist with Company B, 15th Engineer Battalion, 9th Infantry Division in the Dinh Tong Province when he was killed during an attack on his battalion by Viet Cong forces. Following his death on February 25, 1968, Specialist Brown was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal, the United States Armed Forces third-highest military combat decoration. The citation for Brown’s Silver Star notes that “his heroism against a numerically superior Viet Cong force was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service” and “his aggressiveness, indomitable courage and determination to defeat the enemy in close combat served as an example and inspired those who fought with him.”

Brown was also awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medals. The awards were presented to his wife, Mary A. Brown, at a ceremony held in Jackson. Specialist Brown’s name is engraved on the reverse of all three of these military decorations in the collection of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum.