AFOSI personnel pay tribute to their latest fallen hero

  • Published
  • By Linda Card
  • Air Force Office of Special Investigations Public Affairs
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (AFNS) --  Hundreds of military and civilian mourners packed Chapel One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., May 9 to attend a memorial service honoring the latest Air Force Office of Special Investigations fallen hero.

Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, 33, of New York, died Apr. 27 of wounds sustained when an Afghan gunman, who also killed seven other Airmen as well as an American civilian contractor, went on a shooting spree in the Afghan air force compound near Kabul, Afghanistan.

"When I think of the word service, as it pertains to Tara, three words come to mind which accurately depict the type of person that she truly was: dedication, honor and commitment," Brig. Gen. Kevin Jacobsen, the AFOSI commander, said during his eulogy.

"Abraham Lincoln once said that for evil to prevail, all it takes is for a few good souls to remain silent. Tara wasn't silent, she choose to serve...she chose to stand tall and be counted. She pledged unwavering support, and committed herself to a life of service, no matter the time, location, or circumstance... and no matter the sacrifice--Tara understood the risk and the love of her country outweighed any fear of personal harm," the general added.

In his closing comments, General Jacobsen said that Tara offered herself on the altar of patriotism for the nation she loved.

"Only those who have served, in times of war, can know the true meaning of this kind of commitment and sacrifice," he said.

Sergeant Brown's body and the bodies of the other seven Airmen killed with her were returned from Afghanistan to Dover AFB, Del., Apr. 29. Besides family members, also in attendance for the dignified transfer at Dover, were Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy. 

Sergeant Brown's Air Force career began in June 1995 when she enlisted into the Delayed Entry Program after graduating from Deltona High School in Deltona, Fla. She reported to basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas, in February 1996. Upon completion of basic training and technical training at Keesler AFB, Miss., she was assigned to Kadena Air Base, Japan, where she began working in the administrative career field. Numerous overseas assignments followed along with several deployments. 

Sergeant Brown was assigned to Headquarters AFOSI at Andrews AFB in November of 2006. She served in the Directorate of Operations and in the Global Watch before being assigned to her most recent position as the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge, Client Support Technician, in the Personnel Division. While assigned to AFOSI, she was deployed to Eskan Village, Saudi Arabia, and to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

In January 2011, Sergeant Brown deployed to Kabul as a communication squadron advisor for NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan. In this role, she trained Afghan air force technicians on the basic fundamentals of desktop computers and computer networking. 

Sergeant Brown and three siblings grew up on Long Island before moving to Deltona in the mid-1990s. They were raised by their father, who later remarried and had another son. She sang in the church choir and aspired to become a pediatric nurse. But three weeks before graduation from Deltona High School in 1995, Sergeant Brown told her father she was going into the Air Force.

She worked her way up the ranks, becoming a master sergeant. Her latest deployment was on what her father Jim Brown called a "history-making mission."

As a career Airman, Sergeant Brown earned the Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.

Her career awards include 1999 NATO AWACS E-3A Component Training Wing Airman of the Year; 2000 NATO AWACS E-3A Component Training Wing Airman Information Manager of the Year; 2000 NATO AWACS E-3A Component Training Wing Airman of the Year; 2009 Headquarters Air Force Office of Special Investigations Noncommissioned Officer of the Year; and the 2009 Communications and Information Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.

In December 2010, Sergeant Brown and her longtime friend Army Sgt. Ernest Brown married at a New England courthouse. They celebrated their marriage with a party at their Maryland home. The couple did not have children.

Besides her father and husband, Sergeant Brown is survived by her mother, Gladys Vereen of New York; brothers Jim Jacobs of Florida, Dominic Jacobs of New York, and Michael Jacobs of Florida; Christopher Baptist of Florida; and sister, Laguanda Jacobs of Maryland.