New Mission for Rick Brown in 2020

Greenfield, IN (February 14, 2020) — Rick Brown, an army veteran who served in Vietnam is honoring those who served and making sure that they are never forgotten. Brown, now spends his time travelling all across Indiana restoring the grave markers of the men and women who have served this country.

Rick Brown working on the Civil War Veterans Burial Site marker

Brown is part of a the group called "Mission: Restore Bronze" with the main is located in Arizona, he heads up the Central Indiana Chapter. “Somebody needs to pay respect. It’s important to show that they’re not forgotten. Veterans need to be respected on both sides of the dirt,” Brown said.

List of Indiana Medal of Honor recipients Rick Brown restored in 2018

Brown has been restoring graves and markers in Indiana for about five years. So far he’s restored hundreds of them. In 2018, Brown accomplished a major goal of restoring graves and markers of all Medal of Honor Recipients interred in Indiana.

RELATED | Veterans gravestones restored at cemetery

For 2020 Raymond’s current target is to restore all Hoosier Vietnam Veteran KIA markers.

Rick Brown restoring a grave marker for a veteran

“You just can’t forget what these guys did for America, and I’m not about to,” he said. Brown, who is disabled due to a car accident in 1969, has been on the receiving end of some increased attention for his efforts.

Honor Restored once again!!
Restoration of Veteran Family Markers in Knightstown,Indiana, Glen Cove Cemetery.
Posted by Mission: Restore Bronze Indiana on Wednesday, May 29, 2019

For his efforts, Raymond was awarded in 2017 the Disabled Vet of the Year Award from the Disabled American Veteran Department of Indiana. Brown described receiving the award as a “great honor,” but says the ultimate gift would be to know that his work will continue when he no longer can. “It would be the best gift, It’d mean an awful lot to me,” he said.

Rick Brown travels all over Indiana with his Jeep and trailer

Brown is actively looking to raise funds to purchase a newer vehicle that would allow him to travel the state and restore more grave markers. Also, additional funds for incidentals such as gas and supplies for cleaning are also encouraged and welcome.

For more information on his fundraiser and Mission: Restore Bronze, you can visit the following:

Donations: PayPal Me
*For those who donate over $250 and want tax exemption, contact Bikersinc at: 317.801.1904
Website: MRBI.Rocks
Facebook: Mission Restore Bronze Indiana

Veterans gravestones restored at cemetery

Greenwood, IN (May 13, 2019) — A Greenfield, Indiana man that runs an organization that restores veterans gave markers in Indiana was in Greenwood Saturday. He was assisting a veterans group with cleaning century-old grave markers belonging to Civil War Veterans.

Raymond R. Brown, a disabled veteran of the Vietnam war dedicates his time to restoring Veteran markers in cemeteries throughout Indiana. He is the director for Mission Restore Bronze Indiana and restores Veteran Markers at no charge whatsoever to the family.

Raymond R. Brown of Mission: Restore Bronze Indiana (Photo: Jim Floyd)

On this particular day, he brought his trailer and equipment to Greenwood to assist the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Every year, on the second Saturday in May, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Benjamin Harrison Camp No. 356 clean gravestones at historic cemeteries around central Indiana. Most members of the organization, whose main focus is educational programming, have ancestors who served in the war.

The SUVCW is a fraternal organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of heroes who fought and worked to save the Union. Organized in 1881 and chartered by Congress in 1954, it is the legal successor to the Grand Army of the Republic.

Raymond R. Brown of Mission: Restore Bronze Indiana travels all over Indiana (Photo: Jim Floyd)

This year, Mike Beck, a member of the Benjamin Harrison chapter and former state commander, recommended a graveyard minutes from his home — the old Greenwood Cemetery off Main Street, just west of U.S. 31. He visited the cemetery to check on the condition of two Civil War cannons, and realized many of the gravestones nearby could use some work.

Together, six men in their 40's, 50's and 60's spent much of the day on their hands and knees scrubbing and treating 25 to 40 Civil War gravestones throughout the cemetery. They also had plans to reset one or two that had sunk into the ground or fallen over.

Raymond R. Brown of Mission: Restore Bronze Indiana maneuvers around around gravestones (Photo: Jim Floyd)

Most of the men who help clean and restore the gravestones have gone through a Department of Natural Resources course on cemetery and stone restoration, he said. They learn how to clean and reset stones without causing any harm to the historic markers.

“We try to be as gentle as we possibly can,” said Tim Beckman, Department of Indiana commander for the SUVCW. Using nylon materials — gloves, brushes and scrapers — they removed algae and dirt from the old stones, then rinsed them with D-2, a special solution that’s used in national cemeteries.

LEARN MORE: Mission Restore Bronze Indiana on Facebook
WEBSITE: MRBI.Rocks

LEARN MORE: Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War on Facebook
WEBSITE: BenHarrisonCamp.org