Arlester Brown

Arlester Brown (born April 1, 1924) is an American minister, educator, and U.S. Army veteran who served in France during World War II. At the age of 101, he is one of the few remaining veterans of D-Day. He has been awarded the Legion of Honour and Knight of the French Order by the French government.

Early life Arlester Brown was born on April 1, 1924, in Homer, Louisiana and grew up for a period in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended high school in Grambling, Louisiana. His mother was a sharecropper and he spent much of his childhood being raised by his grandmother.

Military service On July 6, 1942, Brown was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 18. He attended basic training at Camp Ellis. While a principal in Shreveport, he founded the Shreveport Teachers Association Credit Union. He has conducted mission trips in South Africa, Israel, and the Panama Canal Zone. For several years, he was chaplain and instructor at the Oak Hill Youth Prison Center, and chaplain of the Capitol Hill Hospital. In 1999, Brown and his wife flew on Air Force One with President Bill Clinton for the Grambling State University commencement ceremony, of which Clinton was keynote speaker.

Later life In 2022, Brown was one of 44 veterans who returned to Normandy on a program with the Best Defense Foundation. He was also the guest of honor for the Grambling State's "Black and Gold" spring football game.

On February 24, 2025, French President Emanuel Macron met with Brown at the Embassy of France during his visit to Washington, D.C., and paid a public tribute to his service.

Personal life Brown was married to Ozeal Shyne Brown, who died in 2018.

Brown is a member of the Mu Lambda chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Brown is the recipient of various other awards and honors:

Brown received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Universal Life Church. In May 2024, Brown was selected to participate in the Flame of Liberty Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.