D.D. Brown, far left, stands upright as his long-awaited Korean Medal of Service is pinned on by 412th Engineer Command Maj. Gen. Richard Coleman Friday at the unit’s headquarters on Porters Chapel Road. Seated on the front row are Brown’s son, Phil Brown, and wife, Betty Jane Brown.(The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)

[12/03/01]Fifty years after his duty in Korea, D.D. Brown has been honored for his service in the “Forgotten War.”

In front of the 412th Engineer Command, the U.S. Army Reserve unit that specializes in the Korean peninsula, Brown was presented with the Medal of Service Friday. For him, it was a surprise.

“I was just going to give it to him in a frame or shadow box,” said his son-in-law, Vicksburg Police Department Capt. William Stimac, who, with his wife, Kathie, helped arrange the awards ceremony. “Then I thought, very few Korean veterans know about this. I should do something for my father-in-law, and also, for all the other veterans.”

Stimac had run across an article in Soldiers of Fortune magazine, explaining how Korean War veterans could apply for their service medals. He knew his father-in-law had never been honored, so he and his wife completed the necessary paperwork. About four months later, they received the medal and contacted the 412th Engineer Command. From there, the presentation snowballed into a formal awards ceremony, complete with members of the 412th unit and its general, Richard Coleman, at the unit’s headquarters on Porters Chapel Road Friday.

“People call it The Forgotten War,'” Coleman said before officially presenting the service medal. “I want you to know, Sergeant Brown, that you have not been forgotten.”

Brown was also given a thank-you letter from Kim Dae-Jung, president of the Republic of Korea, and a medal from the 412th Command. After the ceremony, soldiers queued to shake Brown’s hand and thank him for his service.

“I didn’t know any of this was going to happen,” Brown said. “I’m humbled, and I’m grateful.”

Brown, a Bovina native, fought in the war from January to August 1951 as part of the 12th Field Artillery Battalion before being honorably discharged and returning to his hometown. After the ceremony, he told stories of fighting near “Old Baldy,” one of the many hills U.S. troops defended in the war, as well as the irony of waging war in a country known as The Land of the Morning Calm. “I grew up in poor old, rural Mississippi, but I never realized how well off we were,” until being stationed in Korea, he said.

“I was born in Bovina and have always had a particular interest in Bovina. I never wanted to leave, while all my cousins wanted to go off,” Brown said, now 71 and a retired hog and cattle farmer. His only time away was during his military service. “I’m always glad to see Bovina,” he said.

Recognition of Brown’s service came at an auspicious time, as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the Korean War this year.

“I think it’s wonderful that they are recognizing Korean vets. More should be recognized,” said Betty Jane, his wife of 51 years.

“It’s long overdue,” Maj. Gen. Coleman said. “But it’s never too late to recognize people for their service.”