Published: December 16, 2008 10:25 pm      

Late soldier honored at Beckley ceremony

GLEN JEAN — Jeremy Brown lived a life of danger and cherished every minute of it.

For the courageous soldier, that life came to an abrupt end July 3, 2005, when Brown suffered mortal wounds when a Humvee he was driving rolled over in Mosul, Iraq, avoiding a collision with a suicide driver in Operation Enduring Freedom.

“He really enjoyed what he was doing, and he was really good at it,” his mother, Teresa Brown of Mabscott, observed Tuesday.

“He said, ‘Mom, this is my job, and I’m good at it.’ And he was.”

Inside the Beckley Military Entrance Processing Station, the official swearing in room for fresh recruits will now bear his picture as a lasting tribute to his valor.

Brown will be the focus of attention March 3 when the room is officially dedicated in a ceremony that will include Army leaders, and possibly Gov. Joe Manchin and Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., along with the soldier’s family, including a twin brother, Jason, and his fiancee, Angela Bailey, and Brown’s widow, Rosemary, and a son, Seth.

“From what guys in his unit said about him, he was the go-to guy when they had a mission that was critical and considered very potentially dangerous,” observed Maj. Allana Bryant, commander of the Beckley MEPS.

“Somewhere they had to be on time, or couldn’t have mistakes, he was the one they went to,” she said.

In the fatal incident, she explained, an Iraqi vehicle was attempting to intercept his Humvee.

“At that time, those were generally car bombs,” Bryant said.

“Iraqis had been briefed and told to stop their vehicles and pull over to the side and wait for a convoy to pass.

“This vehicle didn’t do that. He swerved to collide with the Humvee. Sgt. Brown took evasive action.”

When the order was issued to go right, and when Brown did, the vehicle struck a rock and rolled over. Two others inside the Humvee survived.

Brown, was a staff sergeant assigned to the 66th Military Intelligence Co. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based at Fort Carson, Colo.

Since the war erupted in Iraq, the Army says, at least 57 soldiers from his unit have died in hostilities.



Bryant and her staff pored over 73 nominations since she invited southern West Virginians to nominate a veteran they considered worthy of the honor.

About 30 others were incomplete and didn’t make the initial cut.

Veterans from World War I right up through the current conflict in the Middle East were suggested by friends and family members.

“We took all those nominations and we narrowed them down to about 20, when it comes to relevance, courage, bravery,” Bryant said.

From there, she drew up a short list of nine, and then Brown emerged as the veteran after whom the room is to be named.

“It’s just overwhelming,” Brown’s mother said. “I’m just so thankful and so glad that they considered Jeremy.”

Her son already has come in for an honor in his hometown, with Mabscott dedicating a special town park after him. Eventually, his mother noted, the park will include a statute of her son, furnished by a firm in Mobile, Ala.

“He was the type of soldier we want to emulate,” Bryant said in making the announcement.

“We want to instill that in these young soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines we put into service each and every day. We will be forever grateful for his service, his dedication, and his bravery.”

Recruiting hasn’t missed a beat this year, nor has it suffered the late-year holiday doldrums, Bryant said before the announcement.

“This is a huge area for veterans,” she said.

“This is also a huge area for recruiting, possibly because there’s limited options for people that grow up here. They either get involved in the coal mines, and there are not too many industries here.

“And the military is a very viable option for them to get an education and see a little bit of the world and then get a good job and decide whether they want to come back here.”

A native of southern California, the major added, “One thing I can say about West Virginians.

“They are the nicest people I’ve ever met. They may not be the richest state.

“They may not be the smartest state, depending on what kind of study you look at.

“I’d rather have West Virginians for neighbors than a lot of other states.”

— E-mail: mannix

@register-herald.com