Brian K. Grant – Private, United States Army

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NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 1217-04
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2004

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Private Brian K. Grant, 31, of Dallas, Texas, died November 26, 2004, in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire. Grant was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Camp Howze, Korea.

Soldier from Dallas killed in Iraq

30 November 2004

A New York firefighter´s son who was motivated to join the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks is the latest Texas casualty in Iraq, military officials say.

Private Brian K. Grant, who left his job with a Dallas company in May 2003 for active duty, died Friday in Ramadi, Iraq, Defense Department officials said Monday.

“He was a very patriotic kid,” his father, John Grant, told The Dallas Morning News in Tuesday´s editions, adding that the soldier wanted to serve his country after the September 11, 2001, attacks and had been in Iraq a short time before he was killed. “He didn´t even have a year in.”

He said his son tried to reassure family members in his letters that he was safe.

“He always said, ‘Don´t worry,'” said Grant, who is retired and living in Tavares, Florida.

The soldier´s unit was attacked by enemy small arms fire in Ramadi.

His father said the Private, who was killed by a sniper, had requested to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Services are pending.

Grant was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based at Camp Howze, Korea.

Born and raised on Staten Island, New York, Grant spent much of his adult life working for Cintas and was employed by the commercial uniform company in North Carolina before moving to Dallas about four years ago. He requested transfer to Cintas´ Dallas operation, where he was a service sales representative.

“He was real conscientious,” said Cheryl Duffey, Cintas' Dallas office manager. “He took the time to get to know his customers. He was real friendly.”

American and Iraqi troops have battled insurgents daily for weeks in Ramadi, located 70 miles west of Baghdad.

November 30, 2004

Soldier from Dallas killed in Iraq

DALLAS, Texas – Brian K. Grant took it personally when terrorists crashed hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Maybe it was the pain he saw inflicted on the community where he was born and raised. Or maybe it was his family's personal connection to the tragedy.

“I was a fireman in New York City and lost many friends,” said Grant's older brother Michael Grant, now retired and living in Charlotte, North Carolina. “His brother Kevin was a policeman and lost friends. I think it had an influence on his life.”

Motivated by the terrorist attacks to join the Army, Brian Grant left his job with a Dallas company in May 2003 for active duty, said his father, John Grant, also a retired New York firefighter.

On Friday, Private Grant became the latest Texas casualty when he was killed in Iraq, Defense Department officials said this week.

“He was a very patriotic kid,” John Grant told The Dallas Morning News in Tuesday's editions. “He didn't even have a year in.”

John Grant said his son tried to reassure family members in his letters that he was safe.

“He always said, ‘Don't worry,'” said Grant, who lives in Tavares, Fla.

The soldier's unit was attacked by small arms fire in Ramadi.

His father said the Private, who was killed by a sniper, had requested to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Services, including a funeral Mass in New York, are pending.

Grant was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based at Camp Howze, Korea.

“He got right into special forces,” Michael Grant said. “He was a good man. It's not an easy job to get right away.”

Born and raised on Staten Island, New York, Grant was the youngest of four brothers and a sister. He spent much of his adult life working for Cintas and was employed by the commercial uniform company in North Carolina before moving to Dallas about four years ago. He requested transfer to Cintas' Dallas operation, where he was a service sales representative.

“He was real conscientious,” Cheryl Duffey, Cintas' Dallas office manager, told the Morning News. “He took the time to get to know his customers. He was real friendly.”

American and Iraqi troops have battled insurgents daily for weeks in Ramadi, located 70 miles west of Baghdad.

1 December 2004

Courtesy of the New York Daily News

BY MAKI BECKER, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The war in Iraq claimed the life of another member of the FDNY family over the holiday weekend.

U.S. Army Pvt. Brian Grant, the 31-year-old son of a retired Staten Island firefighter, was killed Friday when he came under sniper attack in the city of Ramadi.

Grant enlisted in the Army last February “because of all the people that were killed on 9/11,” his father, John Grant, said yesterday.

“He wanted to go do the right thing,” said John Grant, 70, an Army veteran who served 24 years in the FDNY before retiring in 1982. “He was very patriotic.”

Brian Grant's family was stunned when he suddenly enlisted, but understood his decision.

One of his brothers is a city firefighter, another is an NYPD officer and a third is in the Army Reserves. Brian Grant's father said his fourth son “wanted to serve one way or another.”

“He did it to make it a better place here for us,” said his older sister, Maureen Grant. “He did it for everybody back here.”

Brian Grant was born and reared on Staten Island and moved to Dallas. He was working as a sales manager for Cintas commercial uniform company when he decided to enlist. He originally was deployed to South Korea but got new orders to go to Iraq in August.

Always good-natured, he sent home letters from Iraq filled with upbeat messages and funny stories about pesky sand fleas. “He always kept his spirits up,” his mother, Carol Grant, said.

“He would say, ‘Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. I'll be okay,'” his sister said.

After he was felled by a sniper's bullet, two Army officers arrived at his parents' door in Florida and told them the horrible news. “As soon as I saw the uniforms, I knew,” John Grant said.

The family plans to hold his funeral services on Staten Island and then bury him in Arlington National Cemetery.

“He was only in, like, nine months,” his father said.

Posted on Saturday, December 04, 2004

Dallas man, 31, killed while serving in Iraq

BY JOE SIMNACHER
Courtesy of The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS – Private Brian K. Grant, the son of a New York firefighter, was stirred to serve in the military by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

He left his job with a Dallas uniform company in May 2003 and went on active duty with the Army in February.

Private Grant, 31, was killed Friday in Ramadi, Iraq, the Department of Defense aid Monday.

“He was a good kid all around. I never had a problem with him,” said his father, John Grant, retired and living in Tavares, Florida.

Private Grant was with the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team from Camp Howze, Korea, which had recently been deployed to Iraq.

Privatet Grant was killed by a sniper, his father said.

Private Grant was born on Staten Island, New York, where he lived until he was about 20 years old. He spent much of his adult life working for Cintas, a commercial uniform company. He was with Cintas in North Carolina before moving to Dallas about four years ago.

Private Grant requested a transfer to the company's Dallas operation, where he was a service sales representative.

“He was a real good employee,” said Cheryl Duffey, Cintas' office manager in Dallas. “He was real conscientious. He took the time to get to know his customers. He was real friendly.”

John Grant said his son wanted to serve his country, especially after the Sept. 11 attacks. “He was a very patriotic kid,” his father said.

Private Grant had been in Iraq only a short time before he was killed. “He didn't even have a year in,” his father said.

When he wrote home, Private Grant always tried to reassure his family that he was safe.

“He always said, `Don't worry,'” John Grant said.

Services are pending. Private Grant had requested to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, his father said.

In addition to his father, Private Grant is survived by his mother, Carolann Grant of Tavares, Florida; three brothers, Michael Grant of Mooresville, North Carolina, and Kevin Grant and John Grant Jr., both of Staten Island; and a sister, Maureen Grant of Staten Island.

bkgrant bkgrant-in-Iraq-from-Commander-017

GRANT, BRIAN K

  • PV2   US ARMY
  • VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 04/29/1993 – 11/26/2004
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 04/29/1973
  • DATE OF DEATH: 11/26/2004
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 12/08/2004
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 60  SITE 8082
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

bkgrant-gravesite-photo-the-kiss-september-2006-001 bkgrant-gravesite-photo-082005

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