Marine Lance Cpl. Randy R. Braggs

Remember Our Heroes

Marine Lance Cpl. Randy R. Braggs, 21, of Sierra Vista, Ariz.

LCpl Braggs was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died Nov. 6, 2010 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations.

Braggs was “a big, sweet, easy going, loveable guy” who did his best to make people smile, said his grandmother, Retha Long. He loved playing with his brothers and nephews, she said. He was a 2008 graduate of Buena High School.

Before he left for Afghanistan, Bragg wrote to his Facebook friends: “I love all of you, just be safe and take care of each other, and hope to talk to y’all soon.”

Braggs came from a military family. His parents both served in the Army and his younger brother is serving in the Air Force in Afghanistan, Long said. Braggs’ parents were in Washington, D.C., on Monday to escort his body home, his grandmother said.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have claimed the lives of 49 service members with ties to Tucson and Southern Arizona.

Braggs, a 2008 graduate of Buena High School, posted on his Facebook page on Aug. 12 that he was in Sierra Vista "for 18 days on pre deployment leave." On Sept. 24, also on Facebook, he wrote: "im gone in less than 9 hours all i have to say is i love all of you just be safe and take care of each other and hope to talk to yall soon and to my brothers its time to get sum errrrr."

Braggs was the recipient of service awards including the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the National Defense Service medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

Marine Lance Cpl. Randy R. Braggs was killed in action on 11/06/10.