Edward James Brue

Edward James Brue grew up in Jasper County and graduated from Newton High School. He joined the Army and achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class during his military career. He deployed to South Vietnam as a corrections specialist in July 1972. SFC Brue died on August 12, 1972 when the military plane he was aboard crashed during takeoff in the Ba Xugen Province, South Vietnam. Thirteen other Americans died during the crash. The 33-year-old Iowan left behind a wife, two sons, and a daughter. His remains were returned to the United States and laid to rest at the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery in Kansas.