Army Spc. Brandon J. Rowe

Died March 31, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Roscoe, Ill.; assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; killed in action by enemy artillery in Ayyub, Iraq.

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Rowe sent his mother a letter that arrived the last week or March. A day later, he left a message on the answering machine, asking for extra supplies in a care package.

“In his last letter, he included a little note to say he hadn’t gotten very much mail; letters were like gold,” Wendy Borowski said.

Rowe was killed March 31 in fighting near the Iraqi city of Najaf. He is believed to be the first person from the 101st Airborne Division to die in the war.

Rowe, a 2000 Hononegah High School graduate, joined the Army to earn money for a career in computers after hearing about a friend who had joined. He ended up liking the camaraderie of the Army.

“He cared about the guys that he was in the platoon with,” his mother said.

— Associated Press