Army Spc. Bryan Edward Barron

Died May 23, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Biloxi, Miss.; assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, Biloxi, Miss.; killed May 23 when his military vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Haswa, Iraq. Also killed were Spc. Audrey Daron Lunsford, Staff Sgt. Saburant Parker and Sgt. Daniel Ryan Varnado.

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Guard to dedicate facility to fallen soldier

The Associated Press

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Military officials on June 9 will dedicate the Natchez Army National Guard Readiness Center to Spc. Bryan E. Barron, who was killed in Iraq in 2005.

Barron, a member of the Mississippi Army National Guard’s Company C, 155th Infantry, died May 23, 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle.

Three other Mississippi guardsmen also died in the explosion: Spc. Audrey D. Lunsford of Sardis, Staff Sgt. Saburant Parker of Foxworth and Spc. Daniel R. Varnado of Saucier.

Barron, a 26-year-old Biloxi native, was hoping to be home from Iraq in time for his daughter’s first birthday when he was killed.

At the time of Barron’s death, his brother-in-law, Ken Daniels, told The Associated Press that Barron left behind two daughters.

“I can say this, he died a hero,” Daniels said in 2005. “He was a true American. He found it worthwhile. He found it worth the risk to put his life in danger.”

Numerous family members, soldiers, friends and others will be on hand to honor Barron on June 9 at 1:30 p.m. The ceremony is open to the public.

Maj. Gen. Harold A. Cross, Mississippi’s adjutant general, has been dedicating military facilities throughout the state for Guard soldiers who have been killed in the line of duty in recent years.