Todd Jason Bryant
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army
Operation Iraqi Freedom

Todd Jason Bryant was born on 14 January 1980 in Long Beach, CA, the son of Larry W. and Linda Lee Bryant. Both of his parents are former military officers.

His parents worked for Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena while he attended La Canada High School, where he graduated in 1998. At age 17, he joined the U.S. Army Reserves and completed Basic Training. He then applied for, and received, a nomination to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY. Todd graduated from the Academy in 2002. [His sister, Tiffany, was a graduate of the USMA with the class of 2000.]

On 30 August 2003, just over a week before he deployed to Iraq, Todd married Jenifer A. Reardon at St. John the Evangelist Church in Pittston, PA. They had only nine days together before his deployment.

At the time of deployment, Todd was assigned as a Tank Platoon Commander to Company C, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, at Fort Riley, KS. [Both of Todd's siblings, also military officers, had served in the war region before Todd was assigned there.]

On 31 October 2003, somewhere in the Iraqi desert between Fallujah and Baghdad, 2LT Todd Bryant was killed in action when his Humvee was struck head-on by a rocket-propelled grenade. His life was taken instantly at age 23.

Medals and Awards (Posthumous)

Bronze Star Medal with Combat Valor Device
Purple Heart
Meritorious Service Medal
National Defense Service Ribbon
Iraqi Freedom Medal

Promotion (Posthumous)

Todd was promoted to First Lieutenant.

Burial

First Lieutenant Todd Jason Bryant was buried on 18 November 2003 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.

He was survived by his beloved wife, Jenifer A. Bryant; his parents Larry W. and Linda Lee Bryant of Riverside, CA; his brother, Major Tim Bryant, U.S. Marine Corps, of Centreville, VA; his sister Captain Tiffany Bryant, U.S. Army, of Fayetteville, NC; and a grandmother, Betty McAllister of Cincinnati, OH.