For eight decades, family members were told that Steward’s Mate First Class William Arthur Brown (USNR) was thrown overboard while serving his country during WWII. New research from Brown’s great-great-nephew, Kenyon Goggins, with the help of local and national organizations, showed that was not the case.
Brown was born in Goodview, Virginia, in 1924. Upon joining the military during WWII, he was assigned to the Landing Craft Flotilla, Flagship No. 531, stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. For decades, his family was told he was thrown overboard.
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Thanks to the research conducted by Goggins and other organizations, it was found that Brown was killed in service on December 4, 1945, while on active duty at Pearl Harbor.
Now, his remains rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Several members of Brown’s family have since served in the U.S. Armed Forces.