In July 1998, Erroll Mingo Brown became the first African American admiral in the United Statesย Coast Guardย in its 207-year history.ย Brown was born in Ocklawaha,ย Florida. He grew up in St. Petersburg, and although he had planned to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, his interest inย engineeringย and the benefits of the U.S. Militaryโs academic programs led him to apply in 1968, resulting in his acceptance to the Coast Guard Academy at New London,ย Connecticut.
Brown graduated from the Academy in 1972 with a degree in marine engineering. Two years later, he earned two masterโs degrees from the University of Michigan, one in navalย architecture and marine engineering and another in industrial operations and engineering. In 1986, Brown received anย MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and in 1994, he received another masterโs degree in national security and strategic studies from Naval War College.
Brown served on Coast Guard shipsย Burton Islandย andย Jarvis as engineering officer and onย Rushย as executive officer. He alsoย taughtย marine engineering at the Coast Guard Academy. He has served as military assistant to the Secretary of Transportation, chief of the Budget Division in the Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Coast Guard, commanding officer of U.S. Coast Guard Integrated Support Command, and Commander of Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic. In July 1994, he was promoted to captain.
In June 2000, Brown and his wife Monica (nรฉe Hayes) Brown moved their children Aaron and Elise-Estee to Bellingham, Washington, where on June 2nd, he became commander of the Coast Guardโs 13th District, which gave him jurisdiction over Washington,ย Oregon,ย Idaho, andย Montana. This was one of only nine such assignments in the Coast Guard. He was responsible for 1,827 active-duty military and civilians, 600 reserves, and 1,600 uniformed Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers. Also, at the time, Brown oversaw the only three icebreakers in use by the U.S. military, dispatching them for research on both the North and South Poles.
Rear Admiral Brown retired from the Coast Guard in 2005, putting in a total of 33 years of active duty in the U.S. military. At the time of his retirement, he was the Coast Guardโs highest-ranking engineer. He holds a multitude of awards and honors, including the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Antarcticaย Service Medal, among others. He is also a member of the American Society of Naval Engineers, the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and the American Society of Engineering Educators.
