PIKE COUNTY, Mo.– Phillip Brown and Jerrick Petty were brothers in arms and in spirit.

It’s the reason Brown wants his buddy and all who have paid the ultimate price for freedom to be remembered.

Brown, a Louisiana native who now lives in Washington, Mo., gave a touching tribute and impassioned appeal as guest speaker at American Legion Post 370’s Memorial Day Service May 27.

“He was a man of God, he was a good friend, a good husband and a good father,” Brown said of Petty. “I think because of the sacrifice they gave for our country, the least we can do is honor and remember them.”

Brown graduated from Louisiana High School in 2001 and joined the Army in 2003. He met Petty in basic training. They hit it off instantly, finding in each other qualities that produce true friendship.

Petty was smart, confident, loving, mischievous, funny and a hard worker. The only boy among five children was the kind of person who looked out for others.

In grade school, he beat up bullies who picked on other kids. When his four sisters brought home dates, each guy got vetted.

The two friends were shipped to the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Brown remembers the last time he saw Petty alive. It was one of those moments that was at once stoic and heartfelt.

“He said ‘I love you, brother,’” Brown recalled. “I said ‘I love you, too. Please, be careful.’”

The previous day, Petty’s squad had been ambushed. He covered for other soldiers while they got out safely. It was not to be on Dec. 10, 2003.

Petty was guarding a gas station near Mosul when the enemy attacked. Brown’s outfit was called in as reinforcement. It was then that he learned his friend had been shot.

“I put my hand on his head and I prayed and I talked to him as much as I could,” Brown recalls.

Petty was 25, and left behind a wife and two children. He is buried in Bancroft, Idaho.

Brown has a wife and eight children. He was accompanied to the Louisiana presentation by his service dog, Ranger. The resolute veteran advances the idea that none of the fallen will be forgotten as long as Americans keep their stories alive.

“As time passes, the sting fades, but their voices and their faces don’t,” he said. “Their memories and their spirits are forever.”

 

 

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Louisiana native Phillip Brown delivers a stirring presentation in paying tribute to Army buddy Jerrick Petty during American Legion Post 370’s Memorial Day Service May 27.