Ivan "Bucky" Marion Brown was the fifth child of Delbert "Bowser" and Cora May Brown. He was born and raised in Rockport, KY, the second youngest of six children. After high school, he tried several occupations, never really finding one that he liked. Then he joined the Army and seem to find his niche in life. At that, he would get his discharge from the Army and try civilian life for a year or so, always seeming to reenlist after a few months on the outside or in the civilian world.

Ivan "Bucky" joined the Army in 1966 and was sent to Ft. Knox for his basic training. I am unaware where he took his AIT or technical training, but he ended up being a cook. On one of his tours of duty in Vietnam, he was assigned a gravy (No pun intended) job cooking for some of the base generals. It was said that if one could put up with Army Generals, then this tour for Bucky was one of the best work details in Vietnam. That is, if he had to be in Vietnam.

Bucky died in 1994 just a few years from serving his twenty years in the service and getting his full retirement. His tours, that I am aware of included two tours in Vietnam, Fort Knox, Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, National Guard in Lexington, and a tour in Germany. One tour, and his last place of duty, was with the National Guard in Central City. By this time, he had worked up to the rank of sergeant and was in charge of the mess hall. During this tour, he got sick and died before he could finish the tour and to get in his twenty years.

A few years after Bucky had served his first tour in Vietnam and about 1972, his brother Billy was drafted in the army and was sent to Fort Rucker in Alabama for his AIT training for Helicopter Repair. After graduation from Tech School, Billy was selected to be sent to Vietnam. Billy was married and Bucky volunteered to be sent to Vietnam instead. By then the wheels were in motion and guess once rolling, it takes time to slow and get them stopped. Yes, Billy was sent to Vietnam and just a few weeks later, Bucky was also sent. It did not seem fair that two brothers should be serving in Vietnam at the same time, but most all agree that sometimes life is not fair. Bucky and Billy's mother, Cora May, started a campaign to get one of both back home and was eventually successful, but not before Billy served almost a year in that war torn country. Finally going all of the way to the top of he ladder, Cora May corresponded with the then president, Richard M. Nixon and after many letter exchanges, and almost a year later, Billy was sent back stateside..

Thanks Bucky. Thanks for your service to our country.

See you.......

jrd

;~)

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