Remember...
Leonard Leo Brown
1921-1945
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Remember...Leonard Leo Brown
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Staff Sergeant Leonard Leo Brown (Service Number 15320201) was born June 22, 1921, in Fairmont, West Virginia. The son of George and Mary Catherine "Katie" (Gooch) Brown, the Brown family lived in the Quiet Dell Community on Route 310, also known as East Grafton Road. George worked as a core maker for a foundry (1920 Federal Census) and as a foreman for Domestic Coke (1930-1940 Federal Censuses). The Brown family lived just a few doors down from the family of Medal of Honor recipient Woodrow "Woody" Williams, and a plaque at the West Virginia National Guard Armory in Fairmont describes the duo as childhood friends.
Leonard attended East Fairmont High School, graduating in the class of 1941. No EFHS yearbooks denote activities for Leonard, but the 1940 Orion does list his nickname as "Lem McGee." It is unfortunate to note that Leo was not the only member of the EFHS class of 1941 to die in service during World War II. His classmates Howard Dodd, William "Bill" Layman, and Tom Knox also died in service.
Military Service
Leonard entered the draft on February 14, 1942, at the age of 20. At the time, he was working for the United States Aluminum Company in Fairfield, Connecticut. Leonard was 5'10" tall and weighed 145 pounds, with brown eyes, blonde hair, and light skin.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on August 10, 1942, in Fort Hayes, Ohio. Leonard was assigned to the 62nd Bombardment Squadron, 43rd Bombardment Group, where he served as a gunner on a B-24 Liberator.
On June 1, 1945, Leonard was wounded by shrapnel from anti-aircraft fire during a mission. Their pilot was able to land the plane at Clark Field, but, unfortunately, Leonard succumbed to his wounds on June 6, 1945, at the 249th General Hospital in Luzon, Philippines.
Legacy and Survivors
Initially interred at the U.S. Armed Forces Cemetery #2 in Manila, S/Sgt. Leonard Leo Brown reached his final resting place in 1949 at the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in Fairmont, West Virginia.
He was survived by his parents and five siblings (two sisters, three brothers). Leonard's older brother, George Jr., served in the Marines Corps during World War II.
| Leonard's childhood friend Woody Williams never forgot him, and the drill hall at the Hershel W. "Woody" Williams Armed Forces Reserve Center in Fairmont (dedicated in 2015) is named the "Leonard Brown Memorial Drill Hall." The 43rd Bomb Group Association wrote an article in 2016 about Leonard and Woody's friendship. |  |
Leonard is also honored at the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, West Virginia. A Purple Heart recipient, S/Sgt. Brown also received the Air Medal.
Bibliography
"Memorial Drill Hall Dedicated to SSgt Leonard Brown, 63rd Squadron." President's Report, 43rd Bomb Group Association Newsletter, January 2016 [133rd ed.], 6-7.
Orion [East Fairmont High School yearbook], 1940, 1941.
"SSGT Leonard Leo Brown." Find A Grave, 11 April 2012, accessed 22 August 2025, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88346661/leonard-leo-brown.
"Leonard Leo Brown." [Draft] Registration Card, National Archives and Records Administration, accessed 22 August 2025 through Ancestry.com.
"Leonard L Brown." U.S, World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, accessed 20 August 2025 through Ancestry.com.
"Leonard L Brown." United States Federal Census, 1920, 1930, 1940, accessed 22 August 2025 through Ancestry.com.
Article prepared by Jessica Batten
August 2025
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.