Posted on 09/10/2019
Lieutenant General Bruce K. Brown USAF (Ret.) (Age 88) Passed away peacefully on August 23, 2019 in Potomac Falls, VA after a brief and courageous fight with cancer. He was born on November 16, 1930 in St. Paul, MN where he grew up until the age of 14 when his family moved to Albuquerque, NM and then to Lubbock, TX. He was the eldest of seven sons born to Louis and Dorothy Brown. Bruce and his wife of 67 years, Claudyne, met as sophomores at Lubbock High School and were married in 1952 after his graduation from the United States Naval Academy. Bruce entered the Naval Academy to serve aboard submarines but was seduced by the N3N, a training biplane, into a commission into the U.S. Air Force and 33 years of military aviation. He began his military career as a fighter pilot, having received his wings in August 1953 and flew F-86's out of McGuire AFB, NJ and F-102's out of Hahn AFB, Germany. From there he was assigned to the Air Defense Command in Colorado Springs, CO and afterward attended the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA. After assignments at the Pentagon he attended the National War College and then began a tour in Viet Nam as the chief of operations for the Special Operations Wing at Phan Rang AFB, RVN and flew 400+ combat missions in "The Shadow" and "Puff the Magic Dragon". Bruce went on to command two Strategic Air Command wings of B-52's, one at Blytheville AFB, AR and one at Griffiss AFB, NY. He went on to serve as chief of operations and then vice commander of NORAD. He was subsequently appointed the first vice commander of the newly established Air Force Space Command. His last assignment was as the Commander of the Alaskan Air Command which at the time was one of the Air Force's major commands. KAL 007 was shot down his first day on the job and an intercept and first recorded video of a Soviet Bear H Bomber occurred on his last. After his Air Force retirement, Bruce continued to serve his country through his work on the Strategic Defense Initiative, his work with the Institute for Defense Analysis, his employment by the Department of Defense, as Deputy Chief Information Officer, his participation in various scientific boards and as a member of the Warlord Loop. By the time of Bruce's retirement from fulltime work in 2015 at the age of 85 he had completed over 60 years in the service of his country. As a father he taught by example and through the many "lectures" he dispensed over the years. But he also taught immense lessons with little "Dad-isms" he sprinkled like fairy dust, including among many, many others: "Manage your regrets"; "Hope is not a plan"; "Words matter"; "Don't let your head get in the way of your belly"; "Sometimes pleasure is the absence of pain"; "When all else fails, read the instructions"; and, the ubiquitous "Don't make your problem, my problem". He didn't demand excellence, he just expected it. His wise counsel and advice was a gift he bestowed upon many and will be greatly missed, but not as much as his engaging personality, witticisms and humor, a trait he successfully passed along to his children and grandchildren - it's too early to tell about the great-grands. He truly was the smartest person in the room....at least when his audience was his family. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Vince, Leo and Tom, and his beloved daughter, Elizabeth. He is survived by his wife, Claudyne of Potomac Falls, VA, sons, Brickford Brown (Jennifer) of Midlothian, VA, Brooks Louis Brown (Deborah) of San Antonio, TX and daughter DeLayne Wellen (Mark) of Midland, TX.; grandchildren, Trevor Brown, Taylor Brown, Trent Brown; Erin Kidwell (Zach), Blair Porter (John) and Emma Wellen; five (and a half) great-grandchildren; and brothers, John (Kay) of Lubbock, TX, Mike (Pat) of Scottsdale, AZ and Tim (Pam) of Lubbock, TX. A memorial service will take place on Thursday, September 12 at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Comforter, Vienna, VA. Visitation is scheduled Wednesday, September 11 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Money & King Funeral Home, Vienna, VA. His remains will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the: Elizabeth C. Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund, Texas Tech University or a charity of one's choice. Online condolences and fond memories may be shared with the family at: www.moneyandking.com www.moneyandking.com
Published in The Washington Post on Sept. 10, 2019