Thomas W. Brown
I was born and raised in New York. I enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1965 and attended boot camp at Parris Island, SC. After completing boot camp, I received orders to go to Vietnam. Arrived in Vietnam in May of 1966 and was assigned to a combat unit. I spent the next 2 years in Vietnam and was involved in numerous combat operations. I eventually was promoted to Leader of my helicopter support team. The helicopter support team was responsible for supplying combat support materials and providing medical evacuations. I left the DMZ in Vietnam in July of 1968 and returned to New York due to a family emergency. During my two years in Vietnam, I received meritorious awards including the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, and other unit citations. While at home in New York, I received orders to report to the Marine Corps training center in Omaha, NE. While at Fort Omaha, I was responsible for helping to train Marine Corps Reservists and was also tasked with the planning and distribution of toys for the “Toys for Tots” program. I was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in the summer of 1969.
After my discharge from the Marine Corps, I started to work in the concrete masonry industry. I was active in the Nebraska Concrete Masonry Association and advanced to President of the Nebraska Concrete Masonry Association in 1983. During that time, I also became active in the Associated Builders and Contractors Association and served as their President in 1998. As a Sales and Marketing Manager, I had the responsibility of leading our sales team in the development of residential and commercial accounts.
During my years of employment in the concrete masonry industry, I was asked to help start a chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America. I have served as a proud member of the Vietnam Veterans of America for the last 35+ years, during which time I have held the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer several times with the chapter. In the past 35+ years I have been instrumental in setting up several college scholarships for Nebraska Vietnam Veterans and their children and grandchildren. I am one of the founding members of the group that initiated the creation of the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation and currently serve as its President. I am also currently the President of the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans State Council and have served in that capacity since 2015.
In 2017, I helped to organize the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation. The purpose of the organization was to build a Vietnam Veterans Memorial honoring the Veterans of Nebraska that served their country. From 2018 to 2022, we’ve been busy visiting potential sites of our memorial, meeting with architects, fundraising and creating a fundraising team, as well as securing a Vietnam Era Huey helicopter. Thanks to the efforts of Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation team, the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial will finally become a reality, with its Opening Ceremony occurring in June 2024.
