Story of the Month July 2015
“I was bound and determined that we were going to do our job and we were all going to go home.”
Commander Robert L. Brown, USNR
In May of 2011, the United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program had the honor of attending the Swift Boat Sailors Association Reunion in San Antonio, Texas. Over the course of two days, a number of Veterans were interviewed, including Commander Robert L. Brown. During his interview, 
Commander Brown recalled his naval career which spanned from 1965 to 1987. When focusing on his Vietnam and Cold War Service he remarked, “My reserve officer duty was up. I told my detailer I will stay in the Navy if you give me one of those gunboats in Nam. He was glad to accommodate." He would later become the Officer In Charge of PCF 87 which was part of Coastal Division 15.
With the crew of PCF 87 Commander Brown recalled, “I was bound and determined that we 
were going to do our job and we were all going to go home.” He remarked, “I told my enginemen whatever it takes were going to be the fastest boat in the division. If something happens, I need to
be able to get the hell out of dodge. If something happens to one of my friends, I need to get there quick to help them, so we were quick.” The speed of his PCF would prove important later in his Swift Boat service. When focusing on his early weeks in the country he shared, “The early summer of 1967, there were routine board and search...I think we were looking for a fight... I think we all were idealists when we arrived; we wanted to do good and help the people.” As the weeks turned to months, Brown shared how everything changed after the Tet Offensive occurred. He would briefly leave the Navy, 
then returning to serve in the Surface Fleet on the USS O'Callahan DE 1051 followed by two additional deployments back to Vietnam. His career would then take him to the USS Nimitz CVN 68 as a First Lieutenant. He would then serve as the Executive Officer of the USS Prairie AD 15 and retire in 1987 after service in the Mediterranean Sea.
To hear the detailed story of Commander Robert L. Brown, USNR Retired, come alive; view his detailed experience that has been digitally archived by the Navy Memorial.
The United States Navy Memorial honors Commander Robert L. Brown, featured within the series titled, Tales from the Navy Log, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial Tales from the Navy Log Archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site.