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

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- Service History Note: The veteran also served for three months in 1945.
- 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
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.
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
- Service History Note: The veteran also served for three months in 1945.
- 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
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
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
Service Unit
Gender
Race
Highest Rank
Discharge Status
Interviewee
Featured in
- "Equality of Treatment and Opportunity": Executive Order 9981 | Diverse Experiences in Service | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections
- The Korean War: Not Forgotten | Korean War (1950 to 1953) | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections
- Korean War: In Support | The Korean War: Not Forgotten | Korean War (1950 to 1953) | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections
- Korean War: In the Air | The Korean War: Not Forgotten | Korean War (1950 to 1953) | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections
- Korean War: On the Line | The Korean War: Not Forgotten | Korean War (1950 to 1953) | Serving: Our Voices | Veterans History Project Collection | Digital Collections