John “J.P.” Brown III, 78, of Boardman, reflects on his time in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. He served two tours and has since dedicated his life to veterans’ causes. Correspondent photo / Amanda C. Davis

EDITOR’S NOTE: To suggest a veteran for this series, which runs weekly through Veterans Day, email Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com or call her at 330-841-1737.

BOARDMAN — For John Patrick “J.P.” Brown III, life has been a series of “right place, right time” moments.

From advancements in his career to his military service — even the way he met his wife — Brown said he was fortunate that situations he found himself in always seemed to work out.

The 78-year-old recently reflected on his past and military career, saying “I’ve been lucky in my life, I really have.”

Brown, a 1965 Austintown Fitch High School graduate who was raised on Youngstown’s South Side, said he “grew up fast” after joining the Navy at 17.

It was the late 1960s and the United States had already entered the Vietnam War, a long battle that pitted the communist North Vietnam and its allies against the South Vietnamese government and its principal ally, the United States.

He was aboard the USS Saratoga, an aircraft carrier, went to jungle warfare school and was based in Da Nang, a coastal city considered a strategic hub during the war.

He did two tours in Vietnam, spending a total of 18 months there, and did not see direct combat. He did lose some teeth and was treated on the ship’s hospital after it came under enemy fire and sped up. The momentum knocked him to the ground.

He said the military gave him structure at a time when he didn’t have a lot of discipline in his life.

“I didn’t know what I was getting into,” he said. “The structure was there … you get used to people telling you what to do all the time.”

His family has a history of service to this country.

Brown’s father served in the Army’s First Infantry Division in World War II. His granddaughter, Angela, spent eight years in the Army.

He was 50 when he met his wife, Jan, who spent 27 years in the Air Force. She spent some time as a recruiter at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna.

The two took a road trip together across the country and married two years later in Springfield, Ohio, after mutual friends at AMVETS planned a wedding and reception.

Brown said one of his greatest honors came in 2007 when he was named national commander of AMVETS, a post he held for a year.

In 2019, Jan Brown was the first woman named AMVETS national commander. They were the first married couple to both hold that title. AMVETS is an organization formed by World War II veterans, dedicated to serving those who’ve served.

Brown’s dad was a state officer in the organization. The couple also manages AMVETS Post 44 and spent their recent 28th wedding anniversary at Vet Fest, an annual event at the Carl Nunziato Youngstown VA Clinic.

He did a radio talk show on iHeart Media, addressing veterans’ issues every Sunday for about 35 years.

He is also the current CEO and one of the founders of the Mahoning Veterans Memorial at Canfield Fairgrounds and has been president since 2005 of the James H. Parke board, which gives out about $80,000 a year in scholarships to young people who volunteer at VA hospitals.

Former President Ronald Reagan appointed Brown to sit on the U.S. Selective Service Board #80, where he now serves as chairman.

He is also commissioner/president of the Western Reserve Transit Authority board.

After leaving Vietnam, Brown said his dad, who worked as a chemist for Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., recommended him for a position there.

In those days, he said, most people came back to the Mahoning Valley and got jobs at either General Motors or the Sheet & Tube facility.

“You come back, and all of a sudden you’re all grown up,” he added.

The Browns, who enjoy travel, cooking and riding motorcycles, plan to visit Vietnam in 2028 so J.P. Brown can “see how much things have changed.”

He was 19 when he left Vietnam and said he came out a lot different than he went in.

“It wasn’t a popular war and we weren’t popular people,” he said. “It was a job you had to do.”

Many returning soldiers were treated with hostility, he said, adding “I regret what we had to do, but I don’t regret doing it.”