Tulsa World: Soldier's life service celebrated

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Soldier's life service celebrated

By ROB MARTINDALE World Senior Writer
Published: 3/8/2005 3:13 AM
Last Modified: 5/21/2008 10:54 AM

His efforts for Iraq were vital, pastor says at funeral

BARTLESVILLE -- Family, classmates and some mourners who never knew Army Spc. Adam Noel Brewer were told Monday that soldiers like him have made life much better for Iraqis who have been liberated.

At Brewer's funeral service, the Rev. Rod MacIlvaine said the 22-year-old Army specialist "was proud to serve his country, proud when Baghdad fell and proud when victory was declared."

Soldiers like Brewer, the pastor told those gathered at the Grace Community Church, "have made life much better for those (Iraqis) who have been liberated. Think about what has happened in the past two years.

"Thirty-five hundred schools have been renovated and reopened throughout the country of Iraq; 4.3 million Iraqi kids are now attending primary schools, and almost 96 percent of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received polio vaccinations, the first time that has happened."

The pastor said Iraq's higher education system consists of about 20 universities, 46 colleges and four research centers, and "they are getting back to normal; people are going back to school."

He said more than 1,100 building projects are under way in Iraq, including public medical clinics and hospitals and five police academies. Nearly 50 countries have re-established embassies in Iraq.

Brewer was killed Feb. 25 near Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device was

placed in a palm tree and detonated by remote control, the pastor said.

In addition to family members, the pastor said, several at the funeral service were there because they knew Brewer, and those who didn't know him were there because "you want to be here to honor a man who gave his life for his nation."

Brewer, the family said, was scheduled to come home in just a matter of days or weeks when he was killed. He was on his second combat tour of duty in Iraq.

He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

"I hope this afternoon you will be proud of your country and the service that he rendered," the pastor said.

Brewer was born Dec. 28, 1982. His parents are divorced but have a close relationship, especially on family matters, said the soldier's father, Jeffrey Brewer of Bartlesville.

Brewer also is survived by his wife, Molly, of Bartlesville; his mother, Karen Brewer of Tulsa; a sister, Jennifer Sullivan of Tulsa; and his stepmother, Debi Brewer.

After graduating from Bartlesville High School in 2001, Brewer enlisted in the Army and was married in December of that year, the pastor said.

After being stationed in Germany for a time, Brewer "was part of the original invasion that began in March 2003 in Iraq," the pastor said.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, of Fort Hood, Texas.

Brewer, the pastor said, "was part of the unit that stormed into Baghdad (and) was there, I am told, when the statue (of Saddam Hussein) came down. He was there when Saddam Hussein's lavish palaces were turned into U.S. Army headquarters."

Brewer also was there for the liberation of Fallujah "and was there to provide protection during those historic (Iraqi) elections," the pastor said.

The soldier's legacy, the pastor said, will be that "not only did he defend our country, but he defended the values of freedom that we hold so dear.

"It is soldiers like Adam who have made life so much better for those who have been liberated."

Rob Martindale 581-8367
rob.martindale@tulsaworld.com

By ROB MARTINDALE World Senior Writer

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