An Uncle and a Hero

The last of the Brown Brothers passed away on September 13, 2013. This man was a reminder of my granddad, he walk the same way my granddad did. He carried himself in a humble ranchers way, and the same sense of humor. 

He was the son of a cattle rancher, and went on to own his own dairy farm. I will always remember visiting as a kid and having (great) Uncle Jack take me to do chores and milk the cows. He had a sense of humor of teasing. He slipped one of the milking machines on my thumb during that visit. I didn't think I was gonna have a thumb left. Drank my first unpasteurized milk from a cow at this great man's table. 

He was more than a reminder of my granddad and more than a rancher, he was a hero.  Unless you knew Uncle jack, you would not know he was a war hero. He served in WWII, and rarely discussed his experience there. He never gave full stories, or told of his acts of heroism. I am proud to be his great niece. Proud of the simple, honest, and loving life he created for himself and his family. He did all of this while keeping so much to himself. I am certain he lived with many of the horrors of war, coped, overcame, and lived an upstanding life. I have one regret, on July 4 2010, he was honored at the flag raising ceremony in Grantsville. I sat proudly behind him honored to know he was my uncle. Later that day, he invited me to my cousins home to hear him talk about his experiences in WWII. It was the first and only time he would ever discuss it openly, and no one remembered to record it. I had Kaiya, and she was enthralled with the small town activities of the 4th of July. I couldn't tear her away and had no one to watch her. I will always regret not being able to hear his personal account of WWII, or his acts of heroism. I am proud to be an American and proud to be a Brown descendant because of my Uncle Jack, and his brothers and sisters. 

I did not see him often, but when I did it was sure nice to hear that voice and see that walk that seemed to belong to more than one Brown Brother.  I thought of my Granddad each time I saw him and wondered what it would be like to still have him there. But, Uncle Jack was there and I enjoyed his gentle and kind words always. My Granddad, a sister, and my other great uncles greeted him on the other side. I am certain that reunion was wonderful, and I feel sorry for those of us that missed it because it was sure to be a good time! Soon enough, and what a sweet reunion it will be to see him again. I am blessed with amazing ancestors.