Army Pvt. 2 Brandon U. Sloan

Died March 23, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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19, of Bedford Heights, Ohio; assigned to 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas; killed in an ambush near Nasiriyah, Iraq.

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Barely a year ago, Brandon Sloan, 19, of Bedford Heights, Ohio, traded his Bearcats football jersey for an Army mechanic’s coveralls. He left high school his senior year to join the Army.

“He didn’t drop out. He withdrew,” said his father, the Rev. Tandy Sloan. “His thinking to join the Army was altruistic in the sense that he was bettering his own self while serving his country. He was very much committed to the cause of country.”

Sloan was a big guy, happy-go-lucky and loyal to a fault. Tony Tucker, a former classmate and senior at Bedford High, described him as “a kind, sweet person” and “a cool person to be around, but kind of quiet.”

Sloan, who grew up in suburban Cleveland, moved in with his mother in Fraser, Mich., outside Detroit, after leaving school.

His mother, Kimberly Sloan, said, “I’m extremely proud of him for fighting for our country.”

— USA Today and The Associated Press

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Friends and neighbors in Fraser, Mich., are rallying around Brandon Sloan’s mother, Kimberly Sloan.

News of his disappearance spread quickly through her town house complex, where neighbors tied yellow ribbons to trees and doors.

“My family is going through a very difficult time right now,” said the soldier’s grandfather, James Muldrow of Southfield.

Brandon Sloan grew up in Ohio, then moved in with his mother in Fraser after dropping out of high school, she said. His father, the Rev. Tandy Sloan, is pastor of Historic Greater Friendship Baptist Church in Cleveland.

Tony Tucker, a 12th grader at Bedford High School, said he liked to lift weights with Sloan.

“He is a cool person to be around, but kind of quiet,” Tucker said. “He is a kind, sweet person who really cares about people.”

— Associated Press