Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1951 Lucky Bag:

Jack Darwin Brown

Good old Brown . . . burst into the serenity of Navy from NAPS . . . used a chief to haul his gear when reporting . . . spent fifty-three months in the Navy before as Aviation Radio Technician mostly . . . before that in the glories of civilian life at Wabash . . . well known for his efforts in the sound unit . . . always worried about the mails . . . his wives thought he should dye his hair . . . either all black or all gray . . . when vexed with the academics, always had the solution . . . basically a deep thinker about life . . . or what he was working on . . . or what he would ultimately get.

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He was a member of the Sound Unit, Moving Gang, WRNV, and the 4th Company staff (fall).

Loss

Jack was lost on May 6, 1965 when the military aircraft he was aboard crashed near Pilgrim Mountain, Montana.

Other Information

From the June-July 1965 issue of Shipmate:

Capt. Jack D. Brown, USAF, was officially reported killed in a military aircraft accident near Pilgrim Mountain in Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana, on 6 May. He was attached to the 10th Strategic Missile Squadron, Malmstrom Air Force Base.

Capt. Brown was born 9 July 1925 in Indiana. He was a graduate of the Naval Academy, class of 1951.

Survivors include his widow, Lucille; a son, Bradley W,, and daughters Darlu J. and Lisa L., of 1001 Carlos Dr., Great Falls, Mont., and his father, Mr. Elmer Brown of 3630 N, Sherman Dr., Indianapolis, Ind.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Jack graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1943.

His father was Elmer, a salesman for a paint company, and his mother was Julia.

Jack died in a T33 jet trainer on a flight from Colorado Springs to Malmstrom Air Force Base. He had reported vertigo and his instruments not working correctly right before he went off radar.

Memorial services were held from the Malmstrom Air Force Base Chapel on May 12 with Chaplin Karl Schofer officiating. The remains were taken to Custer National Cemetery for military services and burial the next day.

Jack posthumously received the masters degree for which he was studying.

Photographs

Photo courtesy of John's son on October 22, 2020

From his high school yearbook