#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Bryan Luckey

Army Veteran Bryan Luckey was born on August 27, 1980, in Tampa, Florida. He came from a military family. His father, Patrick, served in the Army, and his brother, Matthew, in the Marines. Luckey was assigned to the 562^nd Engineer Company, 172^nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, according to militarytimes.com. Luckey was shot and killed on June 29, 2006, by an enemy sniper while on a mounted patrol in Mosul, Iraq. He was 25.

Luckey’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Iraqi Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Combat Action Ribbon. He was a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School, Sapper Leader Course, and he was a level three qualified Army combative instructor.

When he was killed in June 2006, Luckey was the third soldier to die from the Tampa area in less than a week, reported the Tampa Bay Times in a July 2006 article. The others were Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Fuerst III, 26; and Army Cpl. Aaron Griner.

“He was just a courageous young man. Totally selfless,” said his father to Tampa’s WLBT.com. “He thought of everyone else first.”

Sgt. Bryan Luckey was laid to rest at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. To post a tribute or leave a comment in his honor, please visit his Veterans Legacy Memorial page.

Carry The Load Memorial May National Relay

For the sixth consecutive year, VA joins forces with volunteers to march in honor of Veterans and service members during the Memorial May National Relay starting on April 27.  The annual collaboration with VA’s National Cemetery Administration includes rallies at 38 national cemeteries during a 20,000-mile march along five separate routes covering 48 states. All five routes converge on Memorial Day weekend for a final rally in Dallas, Texas. The list of national cemeteries, along with the dates and times that they will be visited by Carry The Load marchers, can be found here.

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia(at)va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

This post, #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Bryan Luckey, was originally published by the Veteran's Administration.