It may not come as a surprise to some but veterans who served during or around World War 2 are disappearing. There are no more living World War 1 vets and soon vets from the Second World War will be the same. Devils Lake is not immune to this. With the help of Bryce Crosby, who works as a Veterans Service Officer for the ND Department of Veterans Affairs, we were able to locate the one and only World War 2 veteran in town and we hope to chronicle his story and service.
Peter Brown, 96, is originally from Brocket. He moved to Devils Lake in 1984. You can call him “Syl” as his middle name is Sylvester. He is one of the last of “the greatest generation.” Though he did not serve during the 1939-1945 conflict, he enlisted in 1946 at the age of 18. “I figured it was the right thing to do,” he said. He would be sent overseas for his stint in the Army and that is where he would come close to death.
Brown was stationed in Manila, Philippines at a prison camp. One day the fuel tanks in the prison camp exploded and caught fire. “I’m not 100% sure. There was a gunfight. There was someone trying to steal gas and fuel… It took off like a bomb…there were rows of tanks going up one after the other as fast as you could see them go.” The only means of escape was to get into a 6×6 truck and drive through fire and barbed wire to get out of harm’s way.
He drove he guessed about 2 miles to another base where he was able to get to safety. He received burns on about 68% of his body. To this day, he still bears the scars on his body from the burns. When asked about the feeling all he said was, “You don’t never ever want it to happen… The skin was falling off… I was wrapped up like a mummy… I couldn’t eat or do anything else by myself.”
The doctors did not give Brown any hope for a full recovery. They told him he would never be able to work again, have children, or have a semblance of a normal life. Brown took months to recover but he kept pushing through the pain and discomfort to get back home. What kept him going? “I got to get back to work,” he said jokingly. He was medically discharged from the Army.
Though he did make a full recovery, he still has sensitivities to parts of his body that were burnt. His ears, for example, are very sensitive to the cold.
At the age of 96, he doesn’t sit around and do nothing. He still mows his lawn, keeps healthy with a regular exercise routine, and loves to watch educational programs on TV.
According to US Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, 119,550 of the 16.1 million Americans who served in World War II are alive as of 2023. 211 are in North Dakota.
