Serving His Country

But preaching to a congregation in a time of war became difficult, Brown says. He was tired of saying good-bye to the “respectable” young men of his Lee, Mass. church as they went off to war, so Brown decided to go with them. He enlisted as a chaplain with the 381st USAAF Bomb Group.

His three years with the 381st opened his life to much more experience than he ever expected, Brown says. He met a different caliber of men than he ever met before. These “Mighty Men” flew missions day after day, facing death, when none of them wanted to die. Brown was awestruck. They “had a faith and a belief in what they were doing, for which they were willing to die,” he says.

As they flew 297 combat missions from Ridgewell Air Base, Brown says all he could do was wait beside those on the ground as they counted the number of planes that returned each day. As their chaplain, all he could offer at General Service was “hope for another day.”

A letter sent to Brown’s three daughters in April 1945 by Pfc. T. William Halligan summed up Brown’s character:
Our chaplain is the swellest guy that’s fighting in this war, He’s more or less a symbol of what we’re fighting for.

He jokes around and teases a bit. He’s always telling tales.

He’s soft and understanding, and yet he’s tough as nails.

He’s like a lad, just one of us. He’s never unrefined.

He’ll hear your tale of woe, walk hand in hand with gloom.

But cheer you up, whenever Chaplain walks into your room.

Private, Sergeant, Major, Colonel; he treats them all alike.

He doesn’t care if you fly a plane, or pump an Army bike.

Our Chaplain is the best there is. We wouldn’t have another.

Since he came in our outfit, why, he’s kinda like a brother.

He’ll listen to talk about your Mother and your Dad.

And do his best to cheer you up when you are feeling sad.

HA! If you had to find him, no telling where you’d look.

He might be in that Colonel’s car or talking to a cook.

He only sees the good in us. He thinks we’re all so good.

And ’cause he does, we try to be. He’s taught us that we should.

Our Chaplain is the very best. He’s with us thick and thin.

And with guys like him on your side, we just can't help but win.

Brown returned to civilian life a changed man. He wasn’t just their chaplain, he had become “one of them.” These were buddies and friends, whom he loved and respected as brothers – 1,650 of whom would never see another day of their lives.

With a heavy heart, but a new perspective on the ministry, Brown completed 50 years of active service in Connecticut churches, retiring in 1976. His beloved wife, Mary Curry Brown, died in 1975.

Vowing to honor and remember both the living and the dead of the 381st for the rest of his life, Brown remained as chaplain for the 381st Memorial Association. His book, The Mighty Men of the 381st: Heroes All, pays tribute to their memory.

Photos on this page are from James Good Brown’s book The Mighty Men of the 381st: Heroes All, published in 1986.