WASHINGTON – The Coast Guard’s first black admiral retired today, after 33 years of service. Rear Adm. Erroll M. Brown most recent position was the Coast Guard’s top ranking engineer in the position of Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics.

Brown, a St. Petersburg, Fla., native, joined the Coast Guard in 1968 and graduated from the Coast Guard Academy as an ensign with a marine engineering degree in 1972. He became the first black Coast Guard flag level officer when he was promoted to Rear Admiral in July 1998.

Brown previously commanded Coast Guard forces in the Pacific Northwest as the Coast Guard’s 13th district commander from June 2000 to July 2003.

As the Coast Guard’s chief engineer, Brown is responsible for naval, civil and aeronautical engineering and logistics that includes 23,000 facilities, 230 ships, 1,800 boats and 200 aircraft. He is also responsible for managing an annual budget of $1 billion and leading more than 2000 personnel.

Brown has served as an assistant engineer officer on the Coast Guard Icebreaker Burton Island in Long Beach, Calif., as engineering officer on the Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis in Honolulu and as executive officer on the Coast Guard Cutter Rush, in San Francisco; as the military assistant to the Secretary of Transportation in Washington, and as the commander of Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic in Norfolk, Va.

"The Coast Guard has challenged me, given me enormous responsibilities and rewarded me with limitless opportunities," said Brown, reflecting on more than three decades of service.

Brown holds four masters degrees, including a master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan; a master’s degree in Business Administration from RPI, and a masters in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. His military awards include three Legion of Merit medals, two Meritorious Service medals and the Secretary’s Award for Meritorious Achievement.

He and his wife Monica live in Woodbridge, Va., and have two children; Elise, 25, and Aaron, 23. Brown will retire to Williamsburg, Va., where he intends to remain active in the engineering field.

###

The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America.