Campisi Alert Facility room dedicated in memory of Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Brown IV

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Markus M. Maier
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  U.S. Strategic Command officials dedicated a room in the Campisi Alert Facility in honor of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Brown IV, former U.S. STRATCOM Nuclear Operations deputy director, during a memorialization ceremony at the facility June 13.

Brown, along with his wife Susan, died in a private plane crash in Virginia April 19.

"On my behalf and that of Joe's family, thank you for the effort that has been put forth to dedicate this suite in memory of Joe Brown," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Carey, 20th Air Force and U.S. Strategic Command Task Force 214 commander. "I appreciate the commodore and Strategic Communications Wing One in supporting this, along with Offutt Air Force Base and STRATCOM for rallying instantly and making this day very real and possible."

During his tenure at U.S. STRATCOM from December 2008 to October 2010, Brown was recognized for his efforts in improving the Airborne Emergency Actions Officer program by revamping the training and certification process, performance standards and alert requirements.

"Joe trained and certified AEAOs and took a program that had essentially half a dozen flag officers, admirals and generals that performed this duty, to upwards of 20 officers, "Carey said. "Today the program is vibrant in large part due to Joe's commitment."

The AEAO program is comprised of U.S. Air Force general officers and Navy admirals, who are part of the U.S. Strategic Command's Airborne Command Post, also known as Looking Glass. Upon orders from the President, these officers command the execution of U.S. nuclear assets in the event that ground-based command centers are destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperable.

Carey shared several personal experiences with General and Mrs. Brown.

"He was a professional in so many different ways, but he was also quite a character," the general said. "Joe was always confident and usually correct. If you needed an answer from Joe Brown, he had one. He would help you solve a problem and he had a good sense of humor, but he was a very serious man - well studied, and he took the nuclear business very seriously. It's an honor to have known him, served with him and remember him."

Brown was a 32-year Air Force veteran and decorated bomber pilot who has flown sorties over Iraq and Afghanistan, according to his official biography. He was commissioned in 1980 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Va.

His command assignments included the 28th Bomb Squadron, based at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and the 28th Bomb Wing, at Ellsworth AFB, S.D. He was served as part of the U.S. European Command in Mons, Belgium, and with NATO allied air forces in Eskisehir, Turkey.

The general was a command pilot with more than 4,300 hours, primarily in the B-1 and B-52. His decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with "V" device and the Bronze Star.