Army Spc. Timothy D. Brown

Died November 4, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

---

23, of Cedar Springs, Mich.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, Saginaw, Mich.; killed Nov. 4 when a land mine detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Habbaniyah, Iraq.

---

Vandals damage grave markers in West Michigan

The Associated Press

NELSON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Vandals damaged several grave markers at a West Michigan cemetery, including one for a National Guardsman killed in Iraq seven years ago.

MLive.com reported that Cynthia and Tim Brown visited Timothy Brown's gravesite at the East Nelson Cemetery in Kent County's Nelson Township and discovered the vandalism. Randy Tate, Cynthia Brown's brother, said it's "very disturbing to all of us" and made the anniversary more difficult.

The military has said 23-year-old Army Spc. Timothy Brown, of Cedar Springs, was killed Nov. 4, 2005, by a roadside bomb while checking for explosives around the Humvee in which he and four other soldiers were riding.

The Kent County sheriff's department is investigating the cemetery vandalism, which is believed to have taken place late Friday or early Saturday.