Army Pvt. Brandon M. King

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pvt. Brandon M. King, 23, of Tallahassee, Fla.

Pvt. King was assigned to 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died July 14, 2010 at Combat Outpost Nolen, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire.

The 23-year-old died from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire, according to a DOD news release.

King was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), in Fort Campbell, Ky. He joined the Army last September and arrived at Fort Campbell in April.

King’s mother, Carolyn, said it was too early for her to speak about her son and that she would be willing to do so at a later date.

King received the following awards and decorations: National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Weapons Qualification: M4, expert.

“It goes beyond being surprising,” said Dennis Foggy, a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Local chapter 758. “It’s devastating. Any one soldier being killed is bad enough, but when you get two deaths from the same city in a war that is not producing as many casualties as (other wars), it’s a super-bad coincidence.”

King’s death is the sixth this month for the 101st. A memorial service for King will be held in Afghanistan, though he will be honored along with all the other fallen soldiers in recent weeks at the monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony. The next remembrance ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. July 21 at Fort Campbell’s McAuliffe Hall.

King was a field artillery automated tactical data system specialist assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. He entered the Army in September 2009 and arrived at Fort Campbell in April.

He is the second soldier from Tallahassee killed in Afghanistan within about a week. Pfc. Anthony Simmons, 25, died July 8 from indirect fire in the country's Kunar Province. Simmons served in the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, also based in Fort Campbell.

King is survived by his parents, Gary S. and Carolyn A. King of Tallahassee.

Army Pvt. Brandon M. King was killed in action on 7/14/10.