Staff Sgt. Brian Daniel Bland
Born Mar. 12, 1978 in Newcastle, WY
Died Jan. 26, 2005 in Ar Rutbah, Iraq
Brian was known for two things, his smile and his love for the United States Marine Corps. Enlisting in 1996, he twice re-enlisted and his almost 10 year career took him from being a mortar man, to a drill instructor to the deserts of Iraq as a fighter in the Global War on Terrorism. Early on drill instructors used him as an example of how a Marine recruit should look and act. A model Marine, he was what many Marines sought to be; a man of strength, both mentally and physically, disciplined and confident, yet kind and understanding. He took every chance he could to make himself a better man and Marine. He also made sure those he instructed took those opportunities. Most of the recruits he taught still give Brian the credit for making them the Marines they became. Based in Hawaii, Brian deployed to Iraq assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit of the 1st Marine Division. During this time his unit came under attack one day and several Marines were trapped in a building. Brian ordered a tank to put a whole in it so the guys could get out to safety. In the Corps, it’s not cool to say “I love you” but some of the guys there that day want everyone to know that they indeed did love Brian. And what he stood for. Brian was killed in a helicopter crash on January 25, 2005. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Newcastle, Wyoming.
The Staff Sgt. Brian Daniel Bland by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
