RUSH COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Robert Brown knew his mother would not give him permission to join.

It was 1944, and Brown had just turned 17. He was old enough to join the armed forces as World War II raged, but only if his parents gave him permission. Brown said he waited until the following year.

“And I said, ‘Mother, all of my friends are in the service. Now, I’ve got to go in.’ She said, ‘OK,’” he said. “So my career started on March 12, 1945.”

It was the beginning of a Marine Corps career that would span 24 years and 3 of the biggest wars in American history.

Now 99, Bro...