Army Staff Sgt. Brandon W. Farley

Died September 18, 2008 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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30, of Grand Prairie, Texas; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 18 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained Sept. 17 when his mounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in Able Monti, Afghanistan.

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Soldier recalled as committed to family, country

The Associated Press

HAWORTH, Okla. — An Oklahoma soldier who died last week in Afghanistan is being recalled as a person who was committed to both his family and his country.

The Pentagon said Monday that Fort Hood, Texas-based Army Staff Sgt. Brandon W. Farley died Thursday at Bagram Airfield.

The 30-year-old from Haworth, in McCurtain County in far southeastern Oklahoma, died of wounds sustained the day before when his mounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in Able Monti.

“It hits home hard,” said Farley’s brother, 28-year-old Corey Farley. “You think it couldn’t happen to you.”

Brandon Farley, the oldest of four siblings, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Hood. He had been in Afghanistan since July and was beginning his third deployment, family members said.

Corey Farley said his brother kept in touch with friends and family through frequent e-mails.

“You could tell he liked it (being deployed), but it had its ups and downs,” Corey Farley said. “But that’s what he wanted to do. He never thought it would end up like this.”

Brandon Farley’s first military stint was in the Marines, which he joined out of high school. After four years with the Marines, he was honorably discharged. He later joined the Oklahoma National Guard, then the Army, his brother said.

“It was his intention to retire from the Army,” said William Gilpin, Brandon Farley’s uncle. “He had a commitment to country.”

Family members said Farley enjoyed being outdoors and riding motorcycles.

“I can remember fishing down at the creek and being outside when we were like 10 or 12 years old,” Corey Farley said. “Usually it had something to do with a slingshot or a BB gun.”

Brandon Farley’s funeral services will be held in Haworth, but no date has been set.

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Army Staff Sgt. Brandon W. Farley remembered

The Associated Press

Brandon W. Farley loved guns and shooting, going four-wheeling and being social. “But one thing he didn’t like was getting dirty,” said his father, Wade. “He enjoyed the finer things in life — the best of whatever he could afford.”

Farley, 30, of Grand Prairie, Texas, died Sept. 18 from small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Able Monti. He was assigned to Fort Hood.

Farley “was always interested in the military and military history,” said Victor Balagbagan, a social sciences teacher.

“Brandon has given all. People like Brandon is what being a hero is all about.”

Out of high school, Farley joined the Marines and did one tour of duty. He then enlisted in the Oklahoma Army National Guard and later enlisted in the active-duty Army. He also saw duty in Iraq.

Farley’s brother, Corey, also described his brother as a fun-loving person. “He loved serving his country,” Corey Farley said. “He was a go-getter who had talked about joining the military ever since he was 16.”

He also is survived by his mother, Sherry Farley.

“He was a good kid,” his father said.