Army Sgt. 1st Class Brent A. Adams

Died December 1, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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40, of West View, Pa.; assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Washington, Pa.; killed Dec. 1 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military five-ton truck during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq.

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Pa. guardsman worried more about his soldiers than himself

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — A National Guardsman was killed Thursday in Ramadi, Iraq, when his vehicle rolled over after being hit by a rocket, Pennsylvania military officials said Saturday.

Sgt. 1st Class Brent Adams, 40, of West View, was driving the truck when his convoy was attacked, officials said. He died a short time later at a local medical center.

Adams was a member of Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based in Washington, Pa.

“I am deeply saddened that yet another fine Pennsylvania National Guardsmen has paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting the global war on terrorism,” Gov. Edward G. Rendell said. “Our deepest sympathies are with the Adams family during this difficult time and I ask you to keep all of our brave soldiers in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season.”

Adams was about halfway through a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq, where he supervised mechanics who repair military vehicles, said his wife, Marilyn Adams.

She said her husband worried more about the soldiers he oversaw than he did about himself.

“I used to get mad at him because he knew there was not enough time to let everybody go home on leave and he used to say, ‘I want all my troops to have a chance to go home before me.”’

Adams was a 1983 graduate of Hempfield High School in Landisville, and a 1995 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He joined the Pennsylvania National Guard in September 1987. As a civilian, he was a technician with Sprint.

Twenty-one Pennsylvania guardsmen have died in combat in Iraq. Adams is also survived by a son, Daniel, 4, his parents and a sister. Memorial services were not immediately scheduled.