HERE and THERE
Cadet James R. Brown and Pvt. George H. Brown are the sons of Mrs. Lola M. Brown, 219 Monroe avenue southwest. James is at Thunderbird field, Phoenix, Ariz., having been transferred from Santa Ana, Cal., in March. He completed his law course at Iowa before entering the service, and his wife is with him now. He entered the service in November, 1942. George is at Stevens Point, Wis., at the Central State Teacher's college. He entered the service in February, 1943, and was in the local junior college at the time he left. Both are in the air corps.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Tuesday, April 20, 1943, Page 20
WHEREABOUTS
James R. Brown, son of Mrs. Lola M. Brown, 219 Monroe avenue southwest, has just complete the army's primarily flight training course at Thunderbird field, Glendale, Ariz. His wife makes her home in Phoenix.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Wednesday, May 26, 1943, Page 6
HERE and THERE
Aviation Cadet James R. Brown, son of Mrs. Lola M. Brown, 219 Monroe avenue southwest, has arrived at Pecos army air field at Pecos, Tex., to take basic flying instruction as a student pilot. Before he joined the army, Cadet Brown was a student at the University of Iowa.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Tuesday, June 01, 1943, Page 3 (photo included)
NORTH IOWANS IN UNIFORM
Aviation Cadet James R. Brown, son of Mrs. Lola M. Brown, 219 Monroe avenue southwest, has been appointed a cadet lieutenant commanding a flight of aviation cadets taking their basic flying training at the Pecos army air field at Pecos, Tex. Cadet Brown was a student at the State University of Iowa, class of 1942, before he entered the army.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Tuesday, June 29, 1943, Page 14
NORTH IOWANS IN UNIFORM
Cadet James R. Brown, son of Mrs. Lola M. Brown, 219 Monroe avenue southwest, was one of Iowa's aviation cadets who finished the basic training at Pecos army air field at Pecos, Tex., last week. These cadets are being sent to advanced flying schools with army air forces before winning their commissions and assignments to active duty.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Wednesday, August 04, 1943, Page 6
GETS COMMISSION
Lt. and Mrs. James R. Brown have been visiting their parents, Mrs. Lola M. Brown, 219 Monroe ave., S. W., and Mr. and Mrs. Albert Stoecker, 1004 Elm drive. Lieutenant Brown received his wings and commission recently at Douglas, Ariz. During his training he has been stationed at Santa Ana, Cal., Phoenix, Ariz., Pecos, Tex., and Douglas, Ariz. He is being transferred to Hobbs, N. Mex.
A brother of Lieutenant Brown, George H. Brown, aviation cadet, has been transferred from Ryan field, Tucson, Ariz., to Minter field, Bakersfield, Cal., where he will enter basic training in the army air corps. He has been stationed at Stevens Point, Wis., Santa Ana, Cal., and Tucson, Ariz., during his training. Prior to his enlistment in February, 1942, he attended junior college here. (Russell photo)
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, October 13, 1943, Page 10
In England
Second Lt. James R. Brown, husband of Helen S. Brown, 1004 Elm drive, is now overseas and has participated in a course designed to bridge the gap between training in the states and soldiering in an active theater of war, according to word received from an air service command station somewhere in England. Before entering the service, Lt. Brown was a student at the University of Iowa. He is the son of Mrs. Lola Brown, 219 Monroe S. W.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Monday, June 05, 1944, Page 8
MISSING OVER HOLLAND
Second Lt. James R. Brown, son of Mrs. Lola M. Brown, 219 Monroe S. W., was reported missing in action over Holland, according to a telegram received here Monday. Lt. Brown landed in England in June. He received his commission at Douglas, Ariz., last October and was a combat pilot on a B-17. Mrs. Brown, Cerro Gordo county commissioner of the poor, has another son in the service also, 2nd Lieutenant George, who received his commission in Feb. His wife makes her home with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Stoecker, 1004 Elm Drive.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Tuesday, July 18, 1944, Page 16
REPORTED PRISONER of WAR
Second Lt. James R. Brown is a prisoner of war of the German government, according to word received Sunday by his wife, Helen S. Brown, 1004 Elm drive. He had previously been reported missing in action over Holland since June 6. Lt. Brown is the son of Mrs. Lola M. Brown, 219 Monroe S. W.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Friday, October 02, 1944, Page 12
CABLEGRAM FROM PRISONER of WAR IS RECEIVED HERE
Lt. James R. Brown Held by Germans Since October
One more former prisoner of war of the Germans whose home is in Mason City has been heard from. He is Lt. James R. Brown, whose wife received a cablegram from him Sunday, stating that he was in good health, feeling fine and hoped to be home soon. The origin of the cablegram was not disclosed.
Lt. Brown was reported a prisoner of the Germans last Oct. 1. He had been held at Stalag Luft No. 3 until that group was moved by the Germans. Lt. Brown had first been reported missing in action over Holland in July and had not been heard from that time until in October.
Lt. Brown’s wife, the former Helen Stoecker, lives at 307 Adams N. W. His mother is Mrs. Lola M. Brown, Cerro Gordo county commissioner of the poor.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, May 14, 1945, Page 11
ROTARIANS HEAR AIR OFFICERS
Burnett, Brown and Clough Give Talks
Three army air forces officers - Capt. Jack J. Burnett, Jr., Lt. James Brown and Lt. Ray E. Clough, Jr. - and 2 Annapolis midshipmen - first classman Charles Kiser and second classman Jack Rees - were guest speakers at the Rotary club's first summer luncheon meeting to be held at the Mason City Country club Monday noon.
Capt. Burnett returned recently from the Philippines area after completing 70 missions while Lt. Brown and Lt. Clough were recently liberated from German prison camps. First classman Kiser and second classman Rees returned from the U. S. naval academy at Annapolis, Md., after completing their third and second year, respectively.
"I don't know why we didn't all starve to death," Lt. Clough said of his experiences in Stalag Luft 3. He was forced to bail from his plane at 17,000 feet after 13 German fighters attacked and heavily damaged his bomber which was on a mission over Schweinfurt, Germany. Clough said that conditions were tolerable and livable, that they had no stove to cook their food, but that the Red Cross food parcels kept the captured officers alive.
"That Red Cross parcel is probably the most efficient thing that ever came to Germany," Clough declared. Tins were utilized and even beds. "We had quite an extensive line of cooking utensils," Clough laughed.
A U. S. 3rd army tank spearhead liberated him, together with hundreds of other officers. Clough pointed out that German people had been propagandized about American airmen who were termed "luft gangster." The Germans had ingenious methods of talking away defeat, Clough concluded.
Lt. James Brown said that he was shot down in Holland and landed in a main street - in fact - before a German army headquarters. He praised the underground who sheltered him. Lt. Brown was later captured by the gestapo at Antwerp, Belgium. He and Clough were in separate prison compound of Stalag Luft 3.
"Tokyo Rose tried to discourage us from listening to our radio programs, but she did have a fairly good program," Capt. Burnett said.
Midshipman Kiser, star middle football player, said that the navy this fall intended to use the "T" formation instead of the usual wing formation.
Joining Kiser in praising the Mason City school system, Rees singled out the high school mathematics and science departments for what they termed excellent preparation, allowing them to continue their studies without difficulty.
Guests were W. H. Rees, Roy Kiser, R. F. Clough, Bert Drummond, John L. Johnson and F. Hotcher and W. I. Molsberry, both of Grinnell.
Walter Walker, Rotary president, presided.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, June 12, 1945, Page 3
James Brown Gives Talk at Meeting
At the Wa-Tan-Yes club meeting Tuesday noon at the Hotel Hanford, Lt. James Brown, who has recently returned to the United States following his release from a prisoner of war camp in Germany, talked on his experiences.
He told of the Dutch underground where he was for a month and of his eventual capture by the Germans at Antwerp, Belgium, the interrogation camp at Frankfort and Stalag Luft 3, southeast of Berlin, where there were 50,00 allied soldiers.
Lt. Brown said that it was one of the better camps where conditions were livable. He spoke of the scanty rations and the benefits from the Red Cross parcels. Rations were much less after the Russian offensive started when the prisoners were loaded into box cars, 50 men to a car, and sent to Nurenburg where they were a month without the Red Cross food parcels.
Next meeting of the Wa-Tan-Yes will be June 20 at the Adams home at 6:30 p. m.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, June 13, 1945, Page 6
Service Wives Club Hears Experiences of Prisoner of War
Service Wives club met Thursday evening at the U. W. C. A. and after the business session, Mrs. Dean Dalby presented Lt. James Brown, who talked on his experiences as a prisoner of war.
Announcement was made of a recruitment party for the next meeting, July 19, to which each member was asked to bring a guest. Members will also bring cookies for the soldiers’ canteen in Des Moines.
Refreshments were served by Mrs. John Huckley and Mrs. Edward Jones.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, July 06, 1945, Page 6
DOUBLE SURPRISE -- The Browns had themselves a happy weekend. Friday Lt. and Mrs. James R. Brown and son, arrived here from Camp Blanding, Fla., and one of the first things they did was to announce their arrival to the lieutenant's mother, Mrs. Lola Brown, at her office in the courthouse.
Mrs. Brown was out for the moment and while they were waiting for her, the telephone rank. Jim answered. It was his brother, Lt. George, calling from St Louis, Mo., telling that he would be home Sunday. So Mrs. Brown had a double surprise when she appeared.
James had been here earlier in the summer when he was returned to the states after being interned in a German prison camp. His terminal leave is until Sept. 21, and after that may consider himself released from the service. He came from Key field, Meridian, Miss.
George was attending his first year of junior college in Mason City when he entered the service in February, 1942, and he may return to school in January.
Source: Mason City Globe-Gazette, September 10, 1945 (photos included of the two sons)
JAMES BROWN, NOW CIVILIAN,
HANGS OUT HIS LAW SHINGLE
Launches on Career Interrupted by War Three Years Ago
"Vacation is over," says James R. Brown, who recently a lieutenant in the army air forces, is hanging out his shingle Monday as Civilian Brown, attorney-at-law.
Brown will open his office for general practice of law at 21 1/2 South Federal, above the Newberry store. He thus begins a career he was ready to launch 3 years ago when he was called into service just after receiving his juris doctor's degree from law school at the University of Iowa.
"Vacation" for Jim began 2 weeks ago when he arrived here from Camp Blanding, Starke, Fla., where he received his discharge from the 8th AAF. He had come to the states last May following 9 months of internment in a German prison camp, captured after evading the Germans for a month. He was a pilot of a B-17 shot down over Holland as he was returning from a mission over Germany.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown and son are making their home at 314 3rd N.
Mrs. Brown is the former Helen Stoecker. Brown is the son of Mrs. Lola Brown, Cerro Gordo county commissioner of the poor.
Source: The Globe Gazette, Mason City, after his discharge 1945 (photo included)
