Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Joseph Edward Brown Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 74th Engineer Combat Battalion, Medical Detachment
- Location of Service: Pacific Theater
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/687
Drafted by the Army twice, Joseph Brown had two widely disparate experiences in the military. He graduated from high school in June 1945 and went into the Army during the final days of World War II, suffering degrading conditions at a Texas base where he and other blacks were subject to inferior accommodations. In 1950, he was called to serve again in Korea, but this time, he was assigned to an elite unit and attended leadership school. Because Brown had been a pre-med student in college, he was asked to supervise a medical unit; he even had some white soldiers under his command. In only five years, the Army had changed, moving, in Brown’s view, more quickly to integrate its ranks than the civilian world.
Interview / Recording
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About this Item
Title
- Joseph Edward Brown Collection
Names
- Brown, Joseph
- Brown, Joseph Edward
State of Birth
- DC
Home State
- NC
Headings
- - Brown, Joseph Edward
- - Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- Black or African American
Status
- Veteran
Service History
-
Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 74th Engineer Combat Battalion, Medical Detachment
- Location of Service: Pacific Theater
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Dates of Service: 1950-1957
- Military Status: Veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran also served for three months in 1945.
Materials
- Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 04/05/2002)
- Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Digitized Copy (collected 04/05/2002)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/687
Cite as
- Joseph Edward Brown Collection (AFC/2001/001/687), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- video