Born in
Brookfield, Massachusetts, Brooks was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant, October 1, 1807. He commanded the detachment of Marines on Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry's
flagship, . He was killed in action during the
Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813. Concurrent with the issuance of
Congressional Gold Medals to Commodore Perry and
Jesse Elliott, Congress awarded Silver Medals (modeled on the Perry medal) to each commissioned officer and one to the nearest male relative of Lt. John Brooks Jr. of the
U.S. Marine Corps, who was killed in the engagement. The destroyer , launched in 1919, was named for him. ==References==