Lawrence George “Bud” Brown was born on July 7, 1924, in Corry, Erie County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Raymond Lawrence Brown and Rosamond O. Martin Brown. He was married to Gertrude Isabelle "Gertie" Joy Brown. He served in the 562nd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner of B-17 (42-102485) nicknamed 'Bare Essentials' during World War II.
On May 28, 1944, while on a mission to bomb Dessau, Germany, the aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire (flak), causing a fire on board. Despite the crew’s efforts to control the situation, they were forced to crash-land near Groenekan in the Netherlands. Several crew members lost their lives, while the survivors were captured and taken as prisoners of war. During this period, the group carried out numerous strategic bombing missions across Europe.
SSgt Brown was among those captured and taken as a prisoner of war. He was held at Stalag 9C in Bad Sulza, Saxe-Weimar. Following his liberation, he went on to serve in the Army Reserve. In 1951, he became a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne and remained in service until his retirement in 1969. After his military service, he worked as a truck driver for several companies in Indiana. SSgt Brown died on August 21, 2003, and is now buried in the Maple Lawn Cemetery, Flora, Carroll County, Indiana, USA.
Source of information: b17flyingfortress.de, www.findagrave.com, aad.archives.gov