Bollinger County native Loomis Brown shares account of his storied past

Cutline-Body Copy:Loomis Brown poses with a photograph of the 333 men he was in a unit with in the Navy.
Cutline-File Credit:Photo by Dawn Bollinger

Loomis Brown, 91, begins his story of how a boy from Bollinger County ended up serving in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific and other arenas simply.

"I was born on a rocky farm in Bollinger County with nothin' to do," he says. "I was working for only 75 cents a day."

It seems that if Brown did not like the status quo he was not afraid of change. He was only 17 when he joined the Navy, and that meant that one parent had to sign for him. His mother signed the form. It was 1941 and there was a war going on. Brown's wife, Olene chimes in about his mother's thoughts on him leaving for war.

"I guess his mother figured he would be as safe there as anywhere else ... just running around here," she says.

At the time, the draft was in full force.

Photo by Dawn Bollinger
A photograph of the 333 men Loomis Brown was with in a unit during his time in the Navy.

"I was a draft dodger, you see," he says, joking, "since I joined up before they could draft me."

It was a decision that gave him a bit more control over where he ended up going.

Brown completed his 15-day basic training at Farragut, Idaho. It was there that he came down with the mumps and was sick for 21 days.

After basic training, he was stationed at Treasure Island, California, near Guadalcanal. His duty was on a ship that did yard patrol (YP). Their duties included taking care of the fuel, supplies, and the worst part, locating land mines. The area was full of them.

One of the islands nearby still practiced cannibalism. Brown says they were very careful of that place. The highlight of the experience was the time Bob Hope came to entertain the troops. Brown says Hope was really great with the guys, very funny. In order to see the performer better, Brown climbed up in a coconut tree.

Cutline-Body Copy:Olline and Loomis Brown pose for a photo at their home in Jackson.
Cutline-File Credit:Photo by Dawn Bollinger

After California, Brown was sent to New Zealand for 21 days of rest and recreation.

"Since I was a single man at that time, I spent more time on the recreation than on the rest," he says. "Most of the men did."

Brown did meet a lady named Gwen while he was there, and they dated a bit. He had to meet her whole family to see if they approved of him, he guessed. She had a sister who was disabled, and that sister was a history major. Brown was astonished that she knew more about American history than he did.

He and Gwen broke up and his next stint was working on a landing ship troop, or LST. It was there that he learned his most important skill, that of being a mechanic. But according to his wife, "He was born a mechanic." Brown didn't disagree, saying when he got his first wagon as a boy, the first thing he did was take off all four wheels.

At that position, he made petty officer, repairing engines and working on the process of turning salt water into drinking water. He was there about one and a half years.

He also spent time in Frisco. When coming back, they were near the North Canal Street, and the Bollinger County boy had his first experience with Cajun food, which he loved.

In 1958, he married Olene and they moved to Farmington Street in Jackson. In 1969, they moved to the Lakeview Acres Subdivision. The couple has three children, Steve, Gordon and Cheryl. They have six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Evan, one of their grandchildren is following in his grandfather's footsteps by joining the Marines at 18 years of age.

After moving to Jackson, Brown continued to change jobs.

"I never stayed with anything too long," he says. But, he liked his jobs, all of them. He said the guys would kid him, saying he was the only man they knew who whistled when he was going to work and was still whistling at the end of the day.

Some of the jobs Brown had were working as a mechanic for the Oliver Company, working in the shoe factory in St. Louis and also Chicago. He has worked on pipelines and in a steel mill. His more arduous job was driving posts for the railroad.

But, on Jan. 1, 1959, he took the job that would comprise the bulk of his working life. He went to work for the Missouri Department of Transportation. He nearly didn't take the job because it involved a bit of paperwork, and that was not for him. At the urging of his wife, who promised him that she would help him with the paperwork, he took the job. Turns out the paperwork was only to keep a log of where he had been and what he had for lunch since he was reimbursed for all of his meals.

Throughout her life, Olene was a stay-at-home mom when her children were small. She says during that time if a woman's husband made a decent living, a family could afford to do that, but times have changed and people seem to want more than they did then. She is a trained beautician and worked many years in that field.

Only strangers know Loomis by that name, all of his friends know him only as Jock.

At 91, he has some sound advice for others in order to live a long and happy life: "To keep on moving and don't dwell on stuff."