More than 760 Vietnam veterans, including Maj. Ernest Heywood “Ernie” Brown Jr. of Eatonton, will be inducted June 20 into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) 2026 In Memory Program. Brown, 85, died peacefully Sept. 23, 2025.
He is survived by his wife, Susan, who wrote on his In Memory Honor Roll page: “A life rich with many memories so well lived … always to be remembered and loved all my life, my steely-eyed, blue-eyed fighter pilot, how proud I am to be your wife.”
According to Brown’s VVMF Honor Roll page, he was born in 1940 in Lewiston, Maine, and graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 1962.
“As a decorated fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, he served with courage, honor, and distinction. Flying the F-4 Phantom II during the Vietnam War, he earned the respect of his fellow Airmen for his skill, leadership, and bravery under fire,” his biography states.
“For his valor, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. His career included flying as an exchange pilot with the U.S. Navy aboard the USS America, and after two decades of service, Ernie retired in 1983.”
Following his military career, Brown worked as a realtor and a U.S. Postal Service employee in New Hampshire and served on his local school board. He also held several civic leadership positions and volunteered with the local Ambulance Corps.
“Ernie’s commitment to service extended to the Asylum Masonic Lodge in Leeds, Maine, the Lions Club in Wakefield, New Hampshire, and later the Elks Club in Eatonton,” his profile states. “He was a lifelong member of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association and the Order of Daedalians.”
VVMF has long maintained that all veterans who served during the Vietnam War deserve to be honored and remembered. The In Memory program allows families and friends of veterans who returned home from the war and later died the opportunity to have them permanently memorialized.
A plaque honoring these veterans was dedicated at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in 2004. It reads: “In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.”
“For many Vietnam veterans, coming home from Vietnam was just the beginning of a whole new fight. Many never fully recovered, either physically or emotionally, from their experiences,” VVMF President and CEO Jim Knotts said. “As these veterans pass, it is our duty and solemn promise to welcome them home to the place that our nation has set aside to remember our Vietnam veterans.”
This year’s In Memory ceremony will be held on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where the names of all 768 inductees will be read aloud.
Beginning at 10 a.m. On June 20, the 2026 In Memory ceremony will be streamed live on VVMF’s Facebook page and website. A recording of the ceremony will be made available shortly after its conclusion.
The In Memory program was established in 1993 and, following this year’s ceremony, will have honored more than 8,300 Vietnam veterans. For more information about the program or to apply to have a loved one honored in 2027, visit VVMF’s website or call 202-393-0090.