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Eugene S. Brown transcript, 1923-2000, Date acquired: 06/10/2003, bulk 1943-1946

 

Summary

Creator:
Brown, Eugene S., 1923-2009
Extent:
1 folders
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Eugene S. Brown transcript, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_03_0105.

Background

Scope and content:

Eugene S. Brown served as a member of the 78th Infantry Division in the European Theater during World War II. He served from 1943-1946. His unit arrived in France in November of 1944. He performed duties as a runner and a jeep driver for his unit. This collection contains a transcript from an interview conducted June 7, 2000.

Biographical / historical:

Eugene Brown was born May 6, 1923 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He moved with his family to Dubuque, Iowa and finished high school in Bloomington, Wisconsin before attending the University of Wisconsin where he was a member of ROTC. Brown was color blind, which disqualified him from joining the Navy. Instead, he joined the Army in the hopes of becoming an officer. In 1943, he joined the 78th Infantry Division and went overseas for training.

Though he was not involved in the initial landing on D-Day, he arrived in France with his unit later in November 1944. He was a driver for the commanding officers of his unit, working under Colonel Frazier for the majority of his service. He was involved at the Battle of the Bulge and Remagen Bridge, Germany. He shares memories of these battles, as well as his narrative of the German surrender. He describes his encounters with French and German citizens he met while abroad. He earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge and a Bronze Star. He was offered the Purple Heart but turned it down. Brown stated that he was a Christian, which helped his morale during the war. He recounts his experiences in Belin following the German surrender. When he returned home, he attended college under the G.I. Bill, though he never finished his degree. Brown had begun taking photographs while he was in Europe, which then expanded into a photography business after the war. Brown died March 27, 2009.

Acquisition information:

Eugene S. Brown

Donated.

Custodial history:

Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for all researchers.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Eugene S. Brown transcript, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_03_0105.

Location of this collection:
116 Honors Way
Tallahassee
FL
32306-2047
USA