Army Staff Sgt. Bryant A. Herlem

Remember Our Heroes

Army Staff Sgt. Bryant A. Herlem, 37, of Copperas Cove, Texas.

SSgt. Herlem died in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. He was assigned to the 10th Cavalry, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Died on April 28, 2006.

By Matt Curry
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Staff Sgt. Bryant A. Herlem was raised a Californian, but he hoped to spend his post-Army days in Texas, his adopted home.

Herlem, 37, who was raised in Whittier, Calif, and lived in Killeen, Texas, died Friday when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad.

“I couldn't have asked for a better husband,” said LaNita Herlem, who was looking forward to the two purchasing land in Marble Falls or Tyler when her husband retired. They were married more than 16 years.

The blast also killed Sgt. Jose Gomez, 23, of Corona, N.Y. Both were assigned to the 10th Cavalry, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood.

Herlem left for Iraq with the 4th Infantry in December.

“He was the type of person, it was all Army,” LaNita Herlem, 38, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Whatever they told him to do, he did it. He didn't care about the politics, he thought he was doing good over there.”

The soldier loved to play childish practical jokes on his buddies, like throwing stink bombs into the bathroom. He liked video games and collected GI Joes. He loved passing out soccer balls and stuffed animals to Iraqi children.

“My nieces are going to send some stuffed animals over there in his name for the rest of them to pass out,” LaNita Herlem said.

Herlem was a carpenter and kept up with repairs around the house and his neighborhood.

He was raised by his grandparents in Whittier. He and his wife, who is from Bassett, Va., met when both were stationed at Fort Ord, Calif. She is no longer in the Army.

Herlem had been on active and reserve duty since 1986. He had been at Fort Hood since 1998, except for one stint at Fort Riley, Kan., and two trips to Korea.

From Iraq, he communicated with his wife twice a day through the Internet.

“He was very proud of the fact that he could provide for me,” she said. “He just bought me a house and he would brag about that and say, 'How are you doing with that house?”

Army Staff Sgt. Bryant A. Herlem was killed in action on 04/28/06.