Arlester Brown (born April 1, 1924) is an American minister, educator, and U.S. Army veteran who served in France during World War II. At the age of 100, he is one of the few remaining veterans of D-Day. He has been awarded the Legion of Honour and Knight of the French Order by the French government.
Arlester Brown was born on April 1, 1924, in Homer, Louisiana and grew up for a period in Shreveport, Louisiana.[1] He attended high school in Grambling, Louisiana. His mother was a sharecropper and he spent much of his childhood being raised by his grandmother.[2]
Military service
On July 6, 1942, Brown was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 18.[3] He attended basic training at Camp Ellis.[1]
During his military service, Brown held the rank of private and served as a Quartermaster engineer with the 599th Quartermaster Laundry Company. He was deployed in England, Belgium, Germany, and France, where he was stationed during D-Day.[3]
In January 1945, an unmanned V-1 flying bomb exploded near Brown and he was hit in the face by shrapnel.[3][4][2]
Brown was honorably discharged from military service on December 28, 1945, at Camp Shelby.[1]
Brown received a bachelor's degree in teaching education in 1949.[3] He later earned a master's degree in education administration from Texas Southern University. Brown worked for many years in the educational system, including as a school principal in the Shreveport Public Schools. He retired from education in 1970.[7] While a principal in Shreveport, he founded the Shreveport Teachers Association Credit Union.[2]
Ministry
After retiring from education, he attended Wesley Theological Seminary and Howard University School of Divinity, where he graduated with a master's of divinity degree and additional theological studies. Brown served as pastor of several United Methodist churches in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and was presiding elder for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, where he oversaw churches in Virginia, Maryland, and D.C.[7][8][9] He has conducted mission trips in South Africa, Israel, and the Panama Canal Zone.[10] For several years, he was chaplain and instructor at the Oak Hill Youth Prison Center, and chaplain of the Capitol Hill Hospital.[7]
In 2022, Brown was one of 44 veterans who returned to Normandy on a program with the Best Defense Foundation.[5]
In 2024, Brown was a guest speaker at the 2024 American Veterans Center Conference in Washington, D.C.[13] He was also the guest of honor for the Grambling State's "Black and Gold" spring football game.[4]
On June 6, 2024, Brown was awarded the Legion of Honour by French President Emanuel Macron during an international ceremony at Omaha Beach marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.[14][15][16]
On February 24, 2025, French President Emanuel Macron met with Brown at the Embassy of France during his visit to Washington, D.C., and paid a public tribute to his service.[17]
Personal life
Brown was married to Ozeal Shyne Brown, who passed away in 2018.[12] He currently resides at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C., where he is a member of the resident board.[7][18]
Brown is a member of the Mu Lambda chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[7]
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