 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 . 
