Melvin L. Brown

Melvin Louis Brown was a United States Army soldier who served during the Korean War. Born in 1931, he enlisted in the Army and was deployed to the Korean peninsula following the outbreak of hostilities in 1950. As a Private First Class, he was assigned to Company D of the 8th Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division.

On September 4, 1950, during the Battle of Ka-san, Private First Class Brown's platoon was defending a critically important hilltop position. When the position was attacked by a numerically superior enemy force, Brown took up a defensive stand on a wall, single-handedly holding off enemy attackers despite running out of ammunition. He utilized his entrenching tool and throwing rocks to defend the position until he was mortally wounded.

For his extraordinary heroism and self-sacrifice, Private First Class Brown was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His legacy is honored through his decorations, including the Purple Heart, and various service medals commemorating his sacrifice during the early, critical months of the Korean War.