Fallen Soldier: Brian McElroy

Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Scott McElroy, 28, of San Antonio, Tex., was assigned to the 3rd Security Forces Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. He was killed on January 22, 2006, when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while he was conducting convoy escort duties in the vicinity of Taji, Iraq. He was killed alongside Tech. Sgt. Jason L. Norton.

McElroy joined the Air Force in 1998. At the time of his passing, he was assigned as Sergeant Norton’s driver on convoy. Their detachment commander, Captain Kimani Alston said that drivers “must be strong and capable. The fact that he was chosen to drive should speak for itself.”

Staff Sgt. McElroy was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. McElroy’s funeral was attended by many and that afternoon, more than 600 Airmen with the 386th Expeditionary Wing held a memorial retreat in his and Sergeant Norton’s honors.

McElroy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, where he shares a headstone with Norton. Paying tribute to Sergeant McElroy, Staff Sergeant Richard Cleary said, “Brian always made us laugh and he always knew when to jump into a conversation to make us laugh even more. He was a family man and really enjoyed talking to his wife and kids. His mother gave him a gold cross that he always wore around his neck to remind him to never lose his faith. If you look back, remember the good times and remember him as a good friend.”