Army Veteran Bryan Luckey was born on Aug. 27, 1980, in Tampa, Fla. He came from a military family. His father, Patrick, served in the Army, and his brother, Matthew, in the Marines. Luckey was assigned to the 562nd Engineer Company, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, according to militarytimes.com. Luckey was shot and killed on June 29, 2006, by an enemy sniper while on a mounted patrol in Mosul, Iraq. He was 25.

Luckey’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Iraqi Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Ribbon. He was a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School, Sapper Leader Course, and he was a level three qualified Army combative instructor.

When he was killed in June 2006, Luckey was the third soldier to die from the Tampa area in less than a week, reported the Tampa Bay Times in a July 2006 article. The others were Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Fuerst III, 26; and Army Cpl. Aaron Griner.

“He was just a courageous young man. Totally selfless,” said his father to Tampa’s WLBT.com. “He thought of everyone else first.”

Sgt. Bryan Luckey was laid to rest at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Fla.

We honor his service.