Army Staff Sergeant Bradley Espinoza

Army Staff Sgt. Bradley Espinoza, 26, of Mission, Texas, was assigned to the 1st Battalion 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He died on October 19th, 2009, in Qwest, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device; he was trying to disarm the bomb at the time of the explosion. Bradley was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

SSG Espinoza attended Mission High School, where he enjoyed football and wrestling. After graduating from in 2002, he enlisted in the Army that July, motivated by the September 11 attacks and his desire to serve his country. SSG Espinoza hoped to complete a 20-year Army career and then enter law enforcement, ultimately becoming an ATF agent.

Those closest to SSG Espinoza recalled his smile, his ability to make others laugh and the love he had for his family. According to his stepfather, he died doing exactly what he wanted to do.

SSG Espinoza was survived by his wife and two children.