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Community Corner

Forsaken Heroes of the Pacific War Lecture and Book Signing

On Monday evening, June 2, 2014 at 7:30 PM, the Brookfield Museum will host a lecture and book signing in conjunction with the Town's recent Memorial Day commemoration. Danbury authors, Don Morrow and co-writer Kevin Moore, will discuss the story of WWII Japanese captive, U.S. Army Major Albert Brown, whose life and wartime experiences are documented in their publication,Forsaken Heroes of the Pacific War: One Man’s True Story.

As a prisoner of war Brown survived beatings, torture and being stabbed with a bayonet. His back and neck were broken, and he suffered about 15 serious tropical diseases. He passed away at the age of 106, and until his death in 2011 Brown was the nation’s oldest confirmed living World War II veteran at the time and also the oldest confirmed survivor of the Bataan Death March of 1942.   According to Morrow, “We felt his story was so incredible that it needed to be told”.

Morrow, also a WWII veteran, for more than 60 years was in show business behind a mic and in front of a camera. As an announcer he has been called the “Voice of God” having done some of TVs most memorable ads and some of Hollywood’s most famous film trailers such as Saving Private Ryan and Titanic.  He met Major Brown in the 1980s in California. They became friends and Brown, who lived in Illinois, shared some of his past with Morrow, who then asked Moore, a public relations professional and an official videographer for the Veteran’s History Project, to join him in writing Brown's story.  Morrow observed "His story is one of hope for today's returning wounded warriors. His determination to survive, his lesson of recovery, his resolve and desire to plunge back into life after the war is a story as relevant for today's veterans as it is for those of his generation.” 

The program is free and complimentary refreshments will be served. The Museum is located at the intersection of Routes 25 and 133 in Brookfield Center. For more information on other upcoming programs of the Brookfield Historical Society log ontowww.brookfieldcthistory.org

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