Army Staff Sergeant Briand Williams

Army Staff Sergeant Briand T. Williams, 25, of Sparks, Georgia, was assigned to Battery B, 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Benning, Georgia. He died on November 22, 2009, in Numaniyah, Iraq, from wounds sustained when an enemy sniper opened fire as he dismounted his vehicle near a forward operating base. He was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant.

SSG Williams graduated from Valdosta High School in 2002. He immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army that same month to fulfill his dream of a career in the military. During his seven years of duty, SSG Williams completed three combat deployments. On July 26, 2014, a stretch of Highway 76 spanning from downtown Adel, Georgia, to the Brooks County line was officially dedicated as the “Staff Sergeant Briand T. Williams Memorial Highway”.

Known to his soldiers as “Sergeant Will,” SSG Williams was remembered as a demanding but caring leader who wanted those serving under him to succeed.

SSG Williams was succeed by his wife and three children, one of whom was born after his death.