Fallen Soldier: Jonathan P. Brostrom

Army 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Hawaii was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy. On July 13, 2008, 1st Lt. Brostrom died of wounds sustained when his outpost was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades from enemy forces in Wanat, Afghanistan; he was killed alongside eight fellow servicemen.

A 2006 ROTC graduate of the University of Hawaii Manoa, 1st Lt. Brostrom followed in his father’s (a retired Army colonel) footsteps and received his commission as a Lieutenant of the Infantry in June of the same year; he arrived at the 173rd in June 2007. He was the leader of his platoon when they were building a small outpost in a village in the eastern part of Afghanistan. Despite the area’s reputation for hostility to U.S. forces, 1st Lt. Brostrom’s commanders hoped to win over the locals. Outnumbered 2-to-1, 200 enemy fighters attacked the outpost. At the time of the battle, It was the single deadliest attack since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.

1st Lt. Brostrom was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star for his heroism. Paul Egli, commented, “I knew Jonathan personally as one of his instructors at UH ROTC, He was a natural leader. It was an honor to know him. I will never forget him.”