Soldiers Memorial Military Museum shares the history of St. Louis’ contributions to national defense since the Revolutionary War through today. Over the past year, Soldiers Memorial has hosted a special exhibition, “Vietnam: At War and At Home,” in its temporary exhibition gallery. The final day that you can visit this exhibition is on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. Tens of thousands of exhibit visitors have discovered stories of sacrifice, courage and loyalty displayed by St. Louisans in both Southeast Asia and here at home in St. Louis during the Vietnam War. One of these stories is that of Staff Sgt. Dierother Brown.
Brown was born in Mississippi on Feb. 29, 1944. When he was a youth, his family moved to St. Louis, where Brown attended Vashon High School. While in high school, Brown demonstrated his early dedication to serving his community as a member of his school’s Red Cross High School Committee. The committee was dedicated to completing projects for underprivileged and disabled children and to serving the elderly and veterans.
Staff Sgt. Dierother Brown
Following his graduation in 1963, Brown voluntarily enlisted in the United States Army and was off to basic training and a commitment to life in service.
In 1965, after years of supporting South Vietnam in its fight against North Vietnam, the United States committed to sending ground troops to fight the communist forces of North Vietnam. With four years of service under his belt, Staff Sgt. Dierother Brown began his tour in Vietnam on July 30, 1967. At that time, the U.S. rate of casualties in Vietnam was rapidly increasing and would soon reach its peak in 1968.
Brown was a tank platoon leader assigned to B Troop of the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division — commonly referred to as “Quarterhorse.” The unit was operating near Phu Loi Base Camp on Jan. 30, 1968, when North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong launched a massive, coordinated attack against South Vietnamese targets in what is now known as the Tet Offensive. Simultaneously, the unit was engaged in Operation Lam Son 68 — a search-and-destroy operation attempting to eliminate North Vietnamese forces from the nearby An My, Lai Khe and Phu Loi areas.
Silver Star earned by Staff Sgt. Dierother Brown
On Feb. 1, 1968, less than a mile from the north gate of the Phu Loi Base Camp, near the village of An My, Staff Sergeant Brown and B Troop, along with other U.S. forces, engaged with Viet Cong forces. The VC struck the U.S. units with tremendous force and the battle raged until 6 p.m. when the 1st Infantry Division ordered the units back to Phu Loi.
It was on this day that Brown made the supreme sacrifice for his country when he lost his life due to multiple fragmentation wounds from an explosive device. Brown’s remains were returned to St. Louis and are buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. He is also memorialized in the Court of Honor at Soldiers Memorial Military Museum.
Learn more about stories of sacrifice, courage and loyalty by visiting “Vietnam: At War and At Home.” The exhibit’s final day is Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. That same day, Soldiers Memorial will host its annual Memorial Day ceremony at 10 a.m.
For more information, please visit mohistory.org/memorial.
