LOCAL HISTORY

Lt. Gen., Chaplin Billy Brown

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Recently, Gen. Brown has been the keynote speaker on several occasions at the Shannon Memorial Day ceremonies. Of significant interest is that this same Billy Brown participated in the original dedication of the Shannon Memorial back in 1946. At that time he was a member of Shannon’s Boy Scout Troop 30 where he had obtained the rank of Second Class. Now, some 74 years later in 2020, Second Class Boy Scout Billy Brown comes back as three-star General Billy Brown to continue with his participation in the Shannon Memorial Day ceremony.

 

General Brown grew up in the Shannon Community. He attended Model School until the age of fourteen at which time he quit school and joined the Army. He served as a paratrooper in the Korean War. While in that terrible conflict, Billy “promised God” that if he were to survive that he would thereafter spend his time serving God and Country. And, that’s exactly what he’s done… for seventy years! Billy finished high school and went on to earn several college degrees, including that of doctorate. He is presently serving in the U S Army Chaplin Corps. Brown wears “many hats”… including those of Doctor, Reverent, General and Chaplain.

 

In early 2020 a sit-down interview with Chaplain Brown was videoed at Rome’s Sara Hightower Regional Library:

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