The Master Gardener: 1st Armored Division honors the life and legacy of Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Curtis L. Brown.

FORT BLISS, Texas – Leaders from the 1st Armored Division, the El Paso community and family members gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of retired Command Sgt. Maj. Curtis L. Brown at the 1st Armored Division Chapel on Fort Bliss, Texas, Aug. 10, 2026.

Brown spent much of his 101 years developing people. He served more than 31 years in the U.S. Army, contributed to the education of noncommissioned officers, served his community and cared for his family.

For this reason, Mr. Alvin T. Johnson, a lifelong friend of Brown described him as “a master gardener.” According to Johnson, master gardeners do more than simply plant seeds. They cultivate the ground to create the most nourishing environment for all the seeds they sow.

Command Sgt. Maj. Curtis L. Brown’s service to the nation, his family and his community shows why Johnson would give him that title.

Born March 7, 1925, in Dierks, Arkansas, Brown grew up hunting, fishing and playing baseball and developed an aptitude for mathematics. In 1943, at age 18, he enlisted in the Army in Little Rock, Arkansas.

His military career included service during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. His assignments included positions in air defense, artillery, intelligence, signal and transportation organizations, with overseas service in Korea and Germany.

Brown continued advancing through the enlisted ranks during a period of significant change in the Army and the nation.

Command Sgt. Maj. Carvet C. Tate, the 1st Armored Division command sergeant major, spoke about the historical moments Brown experienced during remarks at Brown’s celebration of life.

“He lived more American history than most of us can imagine,” Tate said. “Brown navigated the Jim Crow and civil rights eras as a Soldier and served during the Korean and Vietnam War periods.” In 1960, when the sergeant major rank was reintroduced into the modern enlisted structure, Tate noted that Brown made history by becoming one of the first African American master sergeants promoted to sergeant major despite having enlisted at a time when the U.S. Army was still officially a segregated force.” Brown’s quality as a Soldier and leader was evident based on the responsibility he was charged with by the Army.

Immediately after being promoted, he served as the command sergeant major for the largest air defense unit in the U.S. Army, whose areas of responsibility covered three states. He was then selected to be the Intelligence Sergeant Major of the 8th Army Air Defense Command in Korea followed by the 38th Artillery Missile Brigade.

At the height of his career, Brown was responsible for more than 10,000 Soldiers at one time as the senior enlisted advisor for the 94th Air and Missile Command.

Despite the heavy workload of his Army career, he also attended night school, earning a degree in mathematics.

His work developing NCOs was not limited to the influence he wielded in his numerous units. Brown, as several speakers proudly mentioned in their remarks, contributed to lesson plans used in the professional military education of senior NCOs at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.

Brown continued serving until 1975, retiring after more than 31 years in uniform. In that time, he tended the ground to nourish generations of Soldiers and leaders that would follow in his footsteps. More than half a century after retiring from the Army, Tate noted how Brown still had the ability to cultivate the ground to develop Soldiers.

When Tate met Brown on his 101st birthday, Brown asked him a simple question.

“Do you know who I am?”

For Tate, the question became a lesson about Brown’s service and the generations of Soldiers who came before him.

“He was asking me if I understood the shoulders I was standing on,” Tate said. “He was asking me if I understood the sacrifices that he made.”

The two spent nearly two hours together.

“I learned that you can be 101 years old and still develop a command sergeant major,” Tate said. “I learned that sometimes the greatest leader development doesn't happen in the classroom. It happens in the living room. It happens through a handshake.”

Brown applied that same commitment to service outside the Army.

Following his military retirement, he began a second career with Casa Ford, where he worked for more than 30 years in sales and management.

He also established deep roots in El Paso.

Brown spent more than 50 years as a member of Shiloh Baptist Church and remained involved with veterans, civic, fraternal and community organizations. His affiliations included the El Paso chapter of the NAACP, American Legion Post 832, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2451, Sunset Lodge No. 76, Oro Temple No. 9, Rio Grande Consistory No. 24 and the McCall Neighborhood Center’s 50/50 Club.

“I saw people who knew his name, people who had been influenced by his leadership, people who had been touched by his service,” Tate said.

Brown’s military record and community involvement tell only part of his story.

He was a master gardener. He dedicated his life to learning and sharing that knowledge with others, a pattern that was also present throughout his military and community service.

His family saw another side of that service.

Brown and his wife, Doris, shared 67 years of marriage. Their family grew to include children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

His daughter, Renata Yvette Brown, said the way her father cared for his family is what she wants people to remember.

“He delighted in taking care of his family,” Renata said. “He was the best father and friend.”

The Soldier who spent decades leading and developing others was also a husband and father who placed his family at the center of his life.

Tate said Brown’s legacy could not be measured only by his military accomplishments. “He wasn't just a Soldier who served his country,” Tate said. “He was a leader, he was a mentor who developed others, he was a father, a friend and a pillar in the community.”

During the service, Tate returned to the question Brown asked him moments earlier.

“Do you know who I am?”

This time, Tate had an answer.

“Yes, Sergeant Major, I know who you are,” Tate said.

Brown’s 101 years provide an answer of their own.

He was a Soldier who entered the Army at 18 and served for more than three decades and three major conflicts. He was a senior NCO whose impact was felt long after he left the service. He was a community member who invested decades in El Paso. He was a husband and father remembered for taking care of his family.

He was a master gardener.

The title provides a fitting description of a life spent gaining knowledge and giving it back.

He invested in people through military service, mentorship, community involvement and family.

At 101, he was still developing leaders.

As Tate said while honoring Brown, “I am a Soldier standing on the shoulders of a giant.”

The full obituary for retired Command Sgt. Maj. Curtis L. Brown is available at: https://www.sunsetfuneralhomes.net/obituaries/curtis-brown?ttm_pid=211902509&ttm_affiliate=legacypro&ttm_affiliatetype=standard&ttm_campaign=legacy.

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