In April 1968, a black car pulled into the driveway of the Brooks family home in Pittsfield.

A U.S. Marine dressed in a crisp navy blue uniform stepped out, accompanied by a chaplain. Without a word, the Marine walked to the American flag flying high on the property and slowly lowered it to half-mast — an unspoken gesture that told Phil Brooks, who was working in his garage, that his son, 20-year-old U.S. Marine Richard Brooks, had been killed in Vietnam.

Years later, Jim Adams, now a Pittsfield selectman, recalled hearing the story firsthand from Phil Brooks, as the town of Pittsfield honored Brooks’ sacrifice on Sunday by naming a street after him — a lasting tribute to the local veteran.

“He was a Pittsfield boy and he was unfortunately killed in the Vietnam War,” said Adams, explaining the Select Board’s decision to name a street in Brooks’ honor. “His life’s goal was to be a Marine.”

Adams and Brooks were friends before Brooks left for Vietnam.

Now, nearly six decades later, a road near Pittsfield’s War Memorial, formerly known as Park Terrace, has been renamed Brooks Terrace. On Sunday, just beneath the newly unveiled street sign, a blue plaque bearing a gold star was revealed, with the words: “In Memory of CPL Richard A. Brooks, USMC.”

“It’s great that the town of Pittsfield did this because he’s been gone for 57 years, and he died for his country,” said Phyllis Brooks Conway, Brooks’ younger sister, who still lives in Pittsfield and is now 77 years old. “He was well-liked in Pittsfield.”

He died in an accident during his service in Vietnam.

After returning from a week of furlough in Thailand, Brooks was unloading a truck full of grenades. The pin that prevents the grenades from detonating was not in place. It resulted in a chain explosion that took his life.

During the war in Vietnam, there were around 75 men from Pittsfield who served, according to Adams. Out of all of them, only one never made it home: Brooks.

Known affectionately as “Dicky” by family and friends, Brooks joined the military at 18, shortly after graduating from Pittsfield High School. From an early age, he was determined to become a Marine.

Conway said when recruiters told Brooks he needed to lose 50 pounds to qualify for the Marines, he didn’t hesitate. They gave him one month — and by the time they returned, he had lost 49 pounds.

That dedication was enough to earn him his place in the Marine Corps, his sister said.

“He was tickled to death because that’s what he wanted to do,” she added. “He did a good job.”

Though most of her family, including her daughter, never had the chance to know her brother personally, Conway says the new street sign ensures that his legacy will live on in the town in which he grew up.

“I was really happy, impressed that they’re going to remember him,” said Conway. “I’m happy that they put that up so that my nephews and the Brooks know that our name is going to be carried on.”

Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com