Army Sgt. First Class Randy D. Collins

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. First Class Randy D. Collins, 36, of Long Beach, California.

SFC Collins died at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland of injuries sustained in Mosul, Iraq, May 4, 2005 during a mortar attack. He was assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, California.

The sixth of nine children, Collins wanted to join the Army from a young age, his mother said.

He attended Mark Twain Elementary and Bancroft Junior High schools in Long Beach, where he excelled in track and cross country. At Millikan High School, he joined the Army Junior ROTC program.

After he graduated in 1987, Collins joined the Army Reserves and then went on active duty when he couldn’t find a civilian job.

During nearly two decades of active duty, Collins was stationed in California, New York, Germany, Kosovo and Kuwait. He was deployed to Iraq in January, less than a year after marrying his wife, Roxanne.

Army Sgt First Class Randy D. Collins was killed in action on 05/24/05.