Marine Lance Corporal Bertrand was assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352), the "Raiders," Combined Task Force 58, Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, California. Bertrand was killed when his KC-130 fueling plane crashed into a mountainside. He was the aerial navigator on the plane, which flew troops, equipment and fuel to those in need. Bryan was a 1997 graduate of Marshfield High School where he was a football standout. He never talked about joining the military while growing up; he wanted to be a rock star. But he followed in the footsteps of his best friend and joined the Marines in 1999. He was in the top 5 percent of the group that took the navigation test. Not all of them made it, but he was a brilliant young man. He had served in the Marines for three years and could have been home a month ago, but he volunteered for another tour of duty because he felt it was his obligation to serve our country. He had recently received an award for his work navigating the refueling tankers on 130 missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan since the 9/11 attacks. Fellow soldiers remember Bryan as a loyal friend with a talent for making the best of tough situations. His family remembers him as an intelligent, gentle man who tried college but decided it wasn't for him and who loved to take walks along Bear Creek. In one of the last letters his family received from Bryan, he told them he'd saved enough money to buy an electric guitar. It was to be waiting for him when he returned from his tour of duty in Pakistan.
Marine Lance Corporal Bertrand was assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 (VMGR-352), the "Raiders," Combined Task Force 58, Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, California. Bertrand was killed when his KC-130 fueling plane crashed into a mountainside. He was the aerial navigator on the plane, which flew troops, equipment and fuel to those in need. Bryan was a 1997 graduate of Marshfield High School where he was a football standout. He never talked about joining the military while growing up; he wanted to be a rock star. But he followed in the footsteps of his best friend and joined the Marines in 1999. He was in the top 5 percent of the group that took the navigation test. Not all of them made it, but he was a brilliant young man. He had served in the Marines for three years and could have been home a month ago, but he volunteered for another tour of duty because he felt it was his obligation to serve our country. He had recently received an award for his work navigating the refueling tankers on 130 missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan since the 9/11 attacks. Fellow soldiers remember Bryan as a loyal friend with a talent for making the best of tough situations. His family remembers him as an intelligent, gentle man who tried college but decided it wasn't for him and who loved to take walks along Bear Creek. In one of the last letters his family received from Bryan, he told them he'd saved enough money to buy an electric guitar. It was to be waiting for him when he returned from his tour of duty in Pakistan.
Bio by: Brenda N
