Army Sgt. Barun Rai

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. Barun Rai, 24, of Silver Spring, Md.

Sgt Rai was assigned to 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Warner Barracks, Bamberg, Germany; died Aug. 3, 2011 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained during a vehicle rollover.


Sgt Rai came to the U.S. from Nepal and had dreamed of joining the Army. He fulfilled that dream when he joined the Army a few years ago.

When his enlistment was up, he was planning on getting out so that he could continue his education at a university.

Before deploying, Rai was assigned to the 54th Engineer Battalion 18th Engineer Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command in Bamberg, Germany.

This was Sgt Rai's third deployment. He was due to come home on leave in a couple of weeks.

"He was a nice boy,” said Siddhesuar Das. “Very nice person, helped everybody."

"Now everybody is sad... It’s not a good feeling,” said Sita Tamand, a relative.

Neighbor Victor Sesay, said Rai often tried to prevent parking tickets for his neighbors. "He definitely was an upright person," he said.

Friend, Walter Aguilar says the neighborhood has always been extremely proud of their local hero.

"It's a big loss for us, too young to lose your life. We are all left deeply saddened,” he said. “But indeed a hero fighting with valor for the country."

Family friend said, "I will tell you though that the Army were incredibly nice and comforting to our friends and even us in the "extended family." They understood the pain as best they could and tried their best to console us. One man, I can't remember his name or his title (rank), told us to not be ashamed to cry if we needed to, that we need to feel what we feel and not hold back. And that was very comforting for certain people who'd never be seen in public crying. I am thankful this man (and the others, including a Major General) was there for our friends, they hugged us, thanked us and really, it was just very nice of them to do that. So much pain for this family."

Sgt Rai is survived by his parents and sister.

Army Sgt. Barun Rai was killed in action on 8/03/11.