One day in 1967, Erroll M. Brown, then a high school senior in St. Petersburg, Fla., opened his mailbox and pulled out a 3-by-5-inch white postcard addressed to him. It read in part, "Are you interested in going to the Coast Guard Academy?"
If interested, the recipient was to check a little box and give the postcard to his guidance counselor so his grades could be mailed in. The teenager checked the box after discussing military service with his mother and stepfather. He saw the academy as a way to pay for his college education. But he didnât have the slightest inkling that checking the "yes" box on the little white postcard would be his first step toward becoming the first African-American admiral in the Coast Guardâs 207-year history in 1998.
"Iâd played football in high school, but given my size, I wasnât going to get a football scholarship," said the 5-foot-6-inch, 157-pound rear admiral. "My mother, who was an elementary school teacher, had stressed the importance of education, so I wanted to continue my education. My father, who served two years in the Army, said military service was a good deal, and that he wished heâd stayed in." His motherâs words of wisdom still resonate today for the 53-year-old admiral: "Son, itâs your decision, because youâre the one who is going to have to do it." Armed with his parentsâ advice, the teenager had a decision to make.
"So I checked the âyesâ box, and here I am!" said the quick-witted Brown, who calls himself a "frustrated wanna-be basketball player." Thatâs because he wanted to play basketball at the academy, but ended up making the football team and playing intramural basketball.
As the Coast Guardâs assistant commandant for systems, Brown manages a $1 billion annual budget, nearly $8 billion in capital plant infrastructure, 174 employees in four headquarters directorates, and some 1,526 employees at three headquarters units. This includes the Coast Guard Yard and the Engineering Logistics Center in Baltimore and the Aircraft Repair and Supply Center in Elizabeth City, N.C. Brown, known as the Coast Guardâs "chief engineer", also is responsible for supporting the organizationâs five strategic goals of safety, protection of natural resources, mobility, maritime security and national defense. SNIP 
|
