Army Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster, 24, of Fontana, California

Sgt Brewster was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum N.Y.; died May 5 when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter he was traveling on crashed during combat operations east of Abad, Afghanistan, in the Kunar province. Also killed were: Pfc. Brian M. Moquin Jr., Spc. David N. Timmons Jr., Spc. Justin L. O’Donohoe, Sgt. Jeffery S. Wiekamp, Sgt. John C. Griffith, Staff Sgt. Christopher T. Howick, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher B. Donaldson, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric W. Totten and Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty.

Daily Press
By LEROY STANDISH Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE — Sgt. Bryan Brewster, of the famed 10th Mountain Division, loved his job. "Bryan is the type of person that he accepted his fate. I think he went out with a smile on his face. He died doing what he loved doing," his brother Scott Brewster said from his family's home in Victorville. "You can't ask for more than that."

Brewster and nine other soldiers died Friday when their helicopter crashed due to mechanical failure in the mountains of Afghanistan, according to the United States Army. Bryan is survived by his wife and high school sweetheart Kati Brewster of Watertown, N.Y. He is also survived by his parents Louis and Linda Brewster and his brother Scott, all of Victorville.

"They were dropping troops off," Scott said. "It was a mission to confront al-Qaida and Taliban that were hiding out in that area."

Bryan Brewster, whose family moved to Victorville after he graduated from Fontana High School and joined the Army, was on his fourth tour of duty oversees. He had served two tours in Afghanistan, one in Iraq and was in the middle of his fourth deployment when the helicopter he was in crashed.

Bryan Brewster was a crew chief on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, based out of Fort Drum, N.Y. The younger of two brothers Bryan had the ultimate goal of becoming a pilot. He was just two months away from being transferred from the front lines to helicopter training school, his brother said.

"Since he was a little kid, 4 or 5 years old, he would go to school wearing camo," Scott said. "He knew what he was doing right upon graduation; he was ready."

Bryan had participated in Junior ROTC while attending high school and won numerous military awards.

"He took his country very, very, very seriously no matter what the circumstances were or what the politics were. He was going to do everything in his power to do it," Scott said. "My brother was a once in a lifetime soldier. There is nobody in this world that would be dedicated to the Army like my brother."

Army Sgt. Bryan A. Brewster was killed in action on 05/05/06.