Army Spc. Brandon S. Mullins

Died August 25, 2011 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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21, of Owensboro, Ky.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; died Aug. 25 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

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‘He wanted to serve and was proud to serve’

The Associated Press

OWENSBORO, Ky. — A solider killed in Afghanistan has been remembered as a selfless young man who made a difference in the lives of others.

Army Gen. Steve Lyons told hundreds of people who attended a funeral service on Sept. 11 for 21-year-old Spc. Brandon Scott Mullins of Owensboro that he was the heart of his platoon and the epitome of service. Lyons said those were just two reasons Mullins has been nominated to receive the Bronze Star, the Messenger-Inquirer of Owensboro reported.

“Some people can live their entire lives wondering, did they make a difference,” Lyons said. “We never have to wonder about Brandon’s life.”

Mullins was killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Kandahar province on Aug. 25. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

David Mullins said his nephew knew the risks of enlisting, but decided to follow in the steps of his older brother, father and grandfather.

“He wanted to serve and was proud to serve,” Mullins said, adding that his nephew had planned to re-enlist.

Youth pastor Damian Schoonmaker said Mullins has found himself in the Army.

“He became such a man — faithful, stalwart, servant-hearted and passionate.”

Christy Chaney of Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory, which handled the service at Good Shepherd Church in Owensboro, said about 1,500 people signed a register in remembrance of the soldier.

He was buried in Owensboro Memorial Gardens.