I Got The News Today (IGTNT) provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The IGTNT title is a reminder that nearly every day the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
Sgt. 1st Class Hughton O. Brown
The Department of Defense has announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
Sgt. 1st Class Hughton O. Brown, 43, of Brooklyn, New York died on November 14, 2017 in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, as a result of a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 306th Engineer Company, 411th Engineer Brigade, Farmingdale, New York. The incident is under investigation.
Brown joined the Army in August 1997, and he deployed to Iraq in November 2011 and to Camp Buehring in Kuwait in August 2017. Camp Buehring is the primary location for the Middle Eastern Theater Reserve, and it is a staging post for military troops going into Iraq.
Brown’s awards include an Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.
Army Reserve Command said in a statement: "We express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sergeant 1st Class Hughton Oneil Brown. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn the loss of a loved one. We've lost a valuable member of our team and he will be sorely missed."
In a joint statement issued on the 306th Engineer Company’s Facebook page, CPT John A. Hasselius and SFC Eugene Abrams said, “SFC Brown was our motor Sergeant For 6 years. A role model and a mentor for many soldiers, even for those not in his beloved Maintenance team, he was sought out for his wisdom and knowledge. This will impact us as a family, but he'd want us to keep moving forward. He will be sorely missed by all.”
The Jamaica Gleaner reported that Hughton Brown was born in Kingston and migrated to New York, and that he loved motorcycles, photography, and videography. The paper also reported that the Army told his family that Hughton died after collapsing during a morning run with colleagues. Hughton’s brother, Duwayne Andy Tomlinson, told the paper the family is “shocked and devastated as we were not expecting this. Our brother was a lively, healthy, vibrant young man, the life of the party, and we await more information from Kuwait on his passing."
My deepest condolences to Hughton’s family and friends.
He leaves a white
Unbroken glory, a gathered radiance,
A width, a shining peace, under the night.
~ Rupert Brooke
Sources: DoD, Army Times, Wikipedia, Facebook, Dover Air Force Base, Jamaica Gleaner
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind. Its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.