George Scratchley Brown was born in Montclair, New Jersey, on 17 August 1918, the son of Thoburn Kaye Brown, an Army officer who had graduated with the West Point class of 1913, and his wife Frances Katherine née Scratchley.
As an Army brat, Brown lived in a succession of different towns and military bases.
He was an Eagle Scout, and played on the American football varsity team as a freshman at Fort Brown, Texas.
He later was a fullback during his junior and senior years at Immaculata High School in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and was an all-league in the Catholic high school interstate league.

Both Brown and his younger brother Tim set their sights on attending West Point, but their father advised taking a year of college first.
Therefore, after graduating from high school in 1936, Brown enrolled in engineering at the University of Missouri where he joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
A fine horseman, he played polo.
He also enlisted in the 128th Field Artillery Battalion of the Missouri National Guard, rising to the rank of corporal.
His father was able to secure a congressional appointment to the United States Military Academy from Kansas for him, and Brown entered on 1 July 1937.

At West Point, Brown was roommates with John Norton, future US Army lieutenant general.
Brown once again played polo, and was captain of the team in his senior year, when the West Point team lost in the final to Princeton University.
In that year he was also cadet captain and regimental adjutant.
He would have liked to have joined the cavalry on graduation like his father, but his standing as 342nd in his class was too low for an appointment to the cavalry.
Instead, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry on graduation on 11 June 1941.
However, he volunteered for Air Corps training.
At West Point he met Alice (Skip) Colhoun.
An Army brat like himself, Alice met Brown at a party her father had thrown for the sons of the graduates of the class of 1913.
Brown and Alice dated for over a year, and were married in 1942.
Their marriage produced three children, two boys and a girl.
George Scratchley Brown was born in Montclair, New Jersey, on 17 August 1918, the son of Thoburn Kaye Brown, an Army officer who had graduated with the West Point class of 1913, and his wife Frances Katherine née Scratchley. As an Army brat, Brown lived in a succession of different towns and military bases. He was an Eagle Scout, and played on the American football varsity team as a freshman at Fort Brown, Texas. He later was a fullback during his junior and senior years at Immaculata High School in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and was an all-league in the Catholic high school interstate league.
Both Brown and his younger brother Tim set their sights on attending West Point, but their father advised taking a year of college first. Therefore, after graduating from high school in 1936, Brown enrolled in engineering at the University of Missouri where he joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon. A fine horseman, he played polo. He also enlisted in the 128th Field Artillery Battalion of the Missouri National Guard, rising to the rank of corporal. His father was able to secure a congressional appointment to the United States Military Academy from Kansas for him, and Brown entered on 1 July 1937.
At West Point, Brown was roommates with John Norton, future US Army lieutenant general. Brown once again played polo, and was captain of the team in his senior year, when the West Point team lost in the final to Princeton University. In that year he was also cadet captain and regimental adjutant. He would have liked to have joined the cavalry on graduation like his father, but his standing as 342nd in his class was too low for an appointment to the cavalry. Instead, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry on graduation on 11 June 1941. However, he volunteered for Air Corps training. At West Point he met Alice (Skip) Colhoun. An Army brat like himself, Alice met Brown at a party her father had thrown for the sons of the graduates of the class of 1913. Brown and Alice dated for over a year, and were married in 1942. Their marriage produced three children, two boys and a girl.
George Scratchley Brown