Benell Brown was a friend and high school classmate of Tom Cartmell.
In high school, Benell played basketball and baseball.
Tom mentioned him in his letter to Zoe of January 10, 1941. He writes:
“Bobs 1)trying to fall in love again this time with Shirley Ward he sort of held back because he thought she was too young but Bill B. and Baker seemed to do O.K., so he has decided to try.”
This high school romance was ultimately unsuccessful. Benell entered the Army and was married to Genevieve Wheat in 1944.
Sent to Europe with the 304th Infantry Regiment, PFC Benell Brown was killed in action on March 1, 1945. He was assigned to the Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion.
His unit was involved in violent fighting in the area around Helenenberg, Germany, as described in the History of the 304th Regiment.
He is buried in the US Military Cemetery in Hamm, Luxemburg.
His widow, Genevieve, was remarried in 1953 to Jean Paul Malan, of Greenville. She and her husband, Jean Paul, had three children and many grandchildren.
Jean Paul died in 2001 and Genevieve died in 2016.