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FSEN Daily (April 3, 2026)

April 8, 2026·1 hr 28 min·7 clips

A 101-year-old veteran hands his license to a bank teller who can't believe his age.

1. FSEN's April 3, 2026 broadcast covers a live ceremony at the McCall Neighborhood Center honoring Command Sergeant Major Curtis L. Brown on his 101st birthday. 2. The event is organized by a committee including Reggie Daniels, Paul Magic, Billy Michaels, Susan Giles, and Mason (MC), with streaming provided by the Howard Family Media Group. 3. The episode's core thesis is that Brown — a triple-war veteran and pioneering Black Sergeant Major — deserves public recognition and his 'flowers' while he is still alive. 4. Curtis Brown, born March 7, 1925, opens with a brief autobiography: inducted into the Army November 13, 1943, he passed through El Paso on November 20, 1949 returning from Germany, and has lived under 17 U.S. presidents from Calvin Coolidge onward. 5. Retired Sergeant Major and Pastor Maurice Riley delivers an invocation framing the occasion as both Good Friday and Brown's 71st wedding anniversary, calling Brown's longevity a sign of divine faithfulness. 6. The MC introduces Command Sergeant Major Carver Tate — incoming First Armored Division CSM and first Black soldier to hold that post — who served in the 3rd Infantry Division, deployed to Iraq in 2003, 2005, and 2007, and to Afghanistan, and holds a Bronze Star Medal with second award. 7. Tate recounts being asked by Reggie Daniels for 'five minutes' to sing happy birthday, only to spend two to three hours with Brown, who handed Tate a doctrine document Brown wrote for the Sergeant Major's Academy — published the month Tate was born, when Tate was one year old. 8. Tate states Brown 'made history in 1957 becoming one of the first African-American Master Sergeants promoted to Sergeant Major,' but then corrects the record: his own research shows Brown's last name starts with B, placing him first on the promotion list, making him the first African-American Sergeant Major in U.S. Army history. 9. Tate discloses that El Paso County carries the official designation of Veterans Capital of the United States, connecting Brown's legacy to the city's identity and calling the veterans in the audience 'the living legacy of service, sacrifice, and commitment that defines this community.' 10. The NAACP El Paso Branch 6175, founded in 1914 as the first NAACP branch in Texas, presents a resolution and the Centurion Legacy Award, situating Brown's life alongside the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the Montgomery bus boycott, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 11. VFW Post 2451 Commander Billy Michaels reveals that his archive research found Brown has been a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars since at least 1980, and announces Brown will receive a brick on the national VFW wall in Kansas City. 12. American Legion Post 832 Commander Faith Prentice presents a certificate describing Brown as a 'pioneer Sergeant Major of El Paso Cornerstone since 1969' and hands him $101 in cash, noting Brown 'still controls his own finances.' 13. Worshipful Master Kevin Roberts of Sunset Lodge 76 reads a letter citing Booker T. Washington's 1901 autobiography and describes Brown as 'a titan of the craft' whose name will be taught as a standard of leadership. 14. The Royal Arch Chapter 90 Excellent High Priest Mark Byrd frames Brown's life through four Masonic veils: courage, intelligence, patience, and swiftness of an eagle. 15. Oral Temple Number 9 Potentate Carl Reagan presents Brown with a ceremonial scimitar, drawing laughter by noting 'I ain't going to cut nobody' and pointing out the cake is in the other room. 16. The MC recounts how the event came together rapidly: Brown's daughter Renata provided a date, the committee mobilized all organizations within days, and the room filled with support from at least nine community groups. 17. The tone throughout is warm, celebratory, and at moments deeply emotional — Tate visibly holds back tears; the MC acknowledges 'you'll never see me get emotional, but whoo.' 18. The format is a live community ceremony with multiple speakers, humor woven through formal tributes, and unscripted crowd interaction — a 101-year-old man riffing at a microphone with a live audience. 19. People interested in African-American military history, El Paso civic life, or centenarian veterans will find this episode particularly engaging. 20. Listeners expecting a polished podcast format or concise interview structure will find the long ceremony format and audio quality challenging.

As heard by us

A warm local tribute that turns a roomful of names into something bigger than ceremony.

This episode feels like a community-room tribute that begins lightly, settles into formality, and closes on a clear note of thanks. It opens with jokes and shout-outs, then gives Brother Brown his due on his 101st birthday and for a lifetime of service.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a live-feeling tribute built from shout-outs, jokes, and a 101st-birthday honor.

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