Bryan R. Thomas
Private First Class, United States Army
October 4, 1985 – September 4, 2008
Age – 22
Battle Creek, Michigan
Operation Iraqi Freedom
1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, TX
Died of wounds received when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device
Pfc. Bryan R. Thomas, 22, of Battle Creek, Michigan. A 2004 Lakeview High School graduate, where he played and lettered in football and wrestling. Bryan was committed to team work, and worked well in that capacity, never seeking the limelight. He was quiet and reserved. An animal-lover from his youth, he did volunteer work with the Michigan Humane Society, and was also a skilled photographer.
He studied photography at Western Michigan University and Kellogg Community College before enlisting in the Army in September 2007. He joined to feel a sense of duty, put structure into his life and see the world. Bryan often sent amazing photos home from Iraq and was the unofficial photographer for his unit. His documentation of his experiences in Iraq covered everything from stray dogs, to roaming water buffalo to visits from heads of state.
He was stationed in Iraq for the past three months, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas. He came home last month for a two-week leave. He died in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.