Theodore Henry Brown was born February 11, 1924 in Utica, NY to Henry M. Brown (1885-1972) and Mabel A. Allen (1886-1976). His parents were married on February 9, 1916 in Jefferson, NY. His dad was originally from Watertown, NY and his mom was originally from Adams, NY. His dad was the manager of a dairy products company. Theodore was their third child which included Martin (1918-2023), David, and Richard (1925-2011). He graduated from Utica Free Academy in Utica, NY in 1942. While there he was in the Classical Club, Science Club, Le Cercle Francais, Social Science Club, Commercial club, Music Club, Thrift Club and Promethean Literary Society. All four of the Brown boys served in World War II.

When Theodore registered for the draft in 1942 (month of registration is illegible on Draft Registration Card) he lived on Proctor Blvd in Utica, NY. He was 5'-11" tall, weighed 170 pounds and had brown eyes and brown hair. He was working at Savage Arms Corp. in Utica, NY. He entered the U.S. Navy on September 21, 1942 through Albany, NY with service number 6007269 and after a year of training was assigned to the USS Belleau Wood on September 24, 1943. The Belleau Wood was a small aircraft carrier recently refitted and sent to the Pacific theater. S2C Theodore Brown joined her at Pearl Harbor just days before she sailed to the South Pacific.

For the next year Theodore participated in the numerous combat operations Belleau Wood was involved in. For details of her operations during this time period I recommend reading the Naval History and Heritage Command entry on the USS Belleau Wood at https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/aircraft-carriers/uss-belleau-wood.html.

On October 30,1944, after a year of combat, five kamikazes were spotted attacking the group of ships the Belleau Wood was part of which included the aircraft carriers USS Intrepid and USS Franklin. One of the kamikazes got through and crashed into the Wood's flight deck, striking 11 fully loaded Hellcats. Several explosions started extensive fires that took three hours for damage-control teams to get under control. With her flight deck holed and casualties numbering 92 killed and 97 wounded, Belleau Wood retired to the Carolines. S1c Theodore Henry Brown was one of those killed during that attack.

According to documents in his Individual Deceased Personnel File, S1c Brown's remains were never recovered. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Philippines.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

Ancestry.com. U.S., Navy Casualties Books, 1776-1941 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.

Dad's FAG - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94590491/henry_martin-brown: accessed May 30, 2026), memorial page for Henry Martin Brown (21 Feb 1885–13 Jun 1972), Find a Grave Memorial ID 94590491, citing Elmwood Cemetery, Adams, Jefferson County, New York, USA; Maintained by Paula Molnar (contributor 49646553).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56751207/theodore_h-brown: accessed May 30, 2026), memorial page for S1 Theodore H Brown (11 Feb 1924–30 Oct 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56751207, citing Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines; Maintained by Hal G. Brown (contributor 47225725).

Fold3, US, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1914-1950 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/853/us-american-battle-monuments-commission-1914-1950 : accessed May 30, 2026), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/853/us-american-battle-monuments-commission-1914-1950

Mom's FAG - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/179863355/alice_mabel-brown: accessed May 30, 2026), memorial page for Alice Mabel Allen Brown (7 Mar 1886–25 Mar 1976), Find a Grave Memorial ID 179863355, citing Elmwood Cemetery, Adams, Jefferson County, New York, USA; Maintained by Larry Corbett (contributor 46488233).

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Individual Deceased Personnel File for Theodore Brown (6007269); Record Group 92: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General; NAID: 330641275

New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Birth Index

USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24), Naval History and Heritage Command, accessed at https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/aircraft-carriers/uss-belleau-wood.html on May 30, 2026.

"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Utica Free Academy; Year: 1942

US, World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949, access at https://www.fold3.com/sub-image/273915822/brown-theodore-henry-us-world-war-ii-navy-muster-rolls-1938-1949?terms=6007269 on May 30, 2026.

Year: 1940; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02862; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 67-103

Supporting Documents