Editor’s Note: Harold Brown lived a remarkable life that spanned over a century, witnessing some of the most decisive moments in history. The World War II veteran was born on February 5, 1923, and sadly passed away on August 16, 2024, at the age of 101, just as this article was being prepared for publication. Though we regret that he never had the chance to read this story in print, we are grateful to his family and honored to share his incredible story with our readers...

Harold Brown was raised on his family farm in Oklahoma during one of the most challenging periods in American history. Shortly after the 1929 stock market crash, the Great Depression took hold, and Oklahoma became one of the hardest-hit states by the Dust Bowl. 

The harsh conditions of Brown’s early years helped make him stronger. Unlike many of his peers who were drafted during World War II, Brown enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1940, encouraged by a friend who had recently returned home.

“I was already bound to go into the National Guard, and he said, ‘You don’t want to go in the Oklahoma National Guard—you need to get out, get more protection and join the Navy,’” said Brown.   

Taking his friend’s advice, Brown went to the recruitment office in Oklahoma City. After completing basic training in San Diego, he boarded the aircraft carrier Saratoga in Long Beach, California, bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Upon his arrival, Brown was assigned to the USS Nevada as a Gunner’s Mate.

Almost a year later, Brown found himself in the midst of one of the most infamous moments in American history: the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army launched a surprise aerial assault on the U.S. naval base, aiming to cripple America’s Pacific Fleet and prevent the U.S. from entering the war. Brown had just completed his morning watch from 4-8 a.m. when the chaos erupted. Japanese planes rained bombs down on the Nevada, the neighboring USS Arizona and other nearby battleships. While the Arizona sank, the Nevada, though hit by torpedoes, managed to get underway. 

Damage to the USS Nevada, BB-36, inflicted during the attack on Pearl Harbor

“Then the Japanese tried to sink us in the channel,” Brown recounted. 

The Nevada was among the few ships that survived the attack, but it was badly damaged. Brown and his shipmates were left with almost nothing.

“I didn’t have any clothing. All I had was what I had on. My bunk and everything was flooded,” he said. 

For three days, he and the remaining crew were forced to sleep outside, enduring the aftermath of the attack with only the clothes on their backs.

SERVICE & RETIREMENT 

On December 10, Brown was reassigned to the USS St. Louis, where he spent much of World War II in the South Pacific.

In 1942, the St. Louis sailed to the Aleutian Islands near Alaska, where U.S. forces bombarded Japanese positions on several islands. Afterward, Brown was briefly stationed in New Caledonia, a French territory in the Pacific and a U.S. ally during the war. 

“I got mosquito bitten so bad that I got dengue fever and malaria and almost died,” he recalled. 

But after recovering, he was transferred to the USS Stack destroyer, where Brown fought in several key battles, including Battle of the Coral Sea, Vella Gulf and Iwo Jima.

Brown’s service continued through 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest conflicts in the Pacific Theater. As kamikaze pilots targeted U.S. ships, the USS Stack was on picket duty, scouting for incoming attacks. 

“They [the kamikazes] got six of the nine destroyers. Stack did not get destroyed,” said Brown’s oldest son, Tom.

Brown with shipmates of the USS Forrest Royal, where he completed his naval service.

After atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Brown was transferred to the USS Forrest Royal, where he remained for the rest of his service. He returned to the U.S. in 1948 to begin a new chapter. 

Tom was born that same year, followed by his brother, David, three years later. In 1952, Brown and his family moved to Denver, where he took a job at the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant. Like many who worked there, Brown couldn’t speak openly about the nature of his work, but he remained there until his retirement in his 60s.

After his wife Shirley’s passing, Brown remarried three more times. In 2015, following the death of his fourth wife, he moved to Grand Junction to be closer to Tom and his family.

Harold Brown passed away on August 16, 2024, at the age of 101.

As a devout Christian, Harold drew strength from scripture and Jesus Christ. He shared his faith through missionary work and was active in church. In his final days, he found comfort in his faith and the promise of eternal life.

“I know that’s what I will remember him by,” said Tom, “being very faithful, [especially] to his family. He was an all-around good, compassionate person.”