Army Pvt. Brett A. Walton

Died April 9, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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37, of Hillsboro, Ore.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died April 9 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Spc. Ismael G. Solorio and Pfc. Brian L. Holden.

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Oregon soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — A soldier from Portland died when an improvised explosive device struck the Humvee he was driving in Baghdad, said Kay Fristad, a spokeswoman for the Oregon National Guard.

Army Pvt. Brett A. Walton, 37, died April 9, less than a month after he was deployed to the Middle East, Fristad said.

Walton was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Ft. Carson, Colo.

Walton graduated from Grant High School, and was a driver for Airgas Inc. in Portland before entering the Army on Sept. 13, Fristad said. He deployed to Iraq on March 10.

He is survived by his wife, Lindsay, and 5-year-old daughter, Sydney. They moved to Sherwood after Walton joined the Army to be closer to Lindsay’s family, Fristad said.

Family members asked Fristad to handle interviews April 12. Fristad said Walton told his family that he signed up for the war because: “I want to do something to be part of the solution, to make a difference to the people of Iraq.”

A memorial service is being planned at the Solid Rock Church in Tigard, with interment at Willamette National Cemetery.

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Ore. soldier believed Lord called him to help in Iraq

The Associated Press

TIGARD, Ore. — When Brett Walton entered the Army, he bought a Bible that fit into the pocket of his cargo pants.

But the book wasn’t found at the base after his death in Iraq.

At a service for Pfc. Walton at the Solid Rock Church on April 23, Elder Steve Marshman said Walton’s wife, Lindsay Walton, considered that a good sign.

“That means he had it with him,” Marshman quoted her as saying. “He probably died with the Bible in his pocket.”

Walton, 37, of Portland died April 9 when a roadside bomb struck the Humvee he was driving in Baghdad. He had been in Iraq less than a month. In that short time, his wife has said, he had been getting to know homeless children, coordinating medical aid for injured civilians and working to restore schools and marketplaces.

Walton didn’t seem like the typical candidate to volunteer for the war. He was well into his 30s and had a wife and their 5-year-old daughter to think about.

But Marshman said in the eulogy that Walton believed he was called to Iraq.

“I think this is the Lord’s will for my life,” Walton told Marshman before joining. “How do I know?”

Marshman said he asked Walton if he had prayed about it. Walton said he had. Marshman then told him that he will know the Lord is speaking if he can attain a peace about it that surpasses understanding.

“I have a peace, but I’m scared I might die,” Walton said.

Despite that concern, Walton joined the Army in September and deployed to Iraq on March 10.

In e-mails to family and friends, Walton voiced concern for the Iraqi children he’d met and asked for items to give them.

“Brett’s last breath in that Humvee in Iraq was his first breath in heaven,” Pastor Phil Comer told the friends and family members who gathered at the church. “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.

“It’s a temporary separation, Lindsay, and there’s going to be a great reunion,” he told the widow. She nodded in agreement.

Burial followed at Willamette National Cemetery.