Brandon S Tobler

Portland Oregon

March 22, 2003

Army Spc. Brandon S. Tobler didn't want to be rich or famous. He only wanted to make the world a better place. "I feel that if I make a difference out here, I've done my part," he wrote in his last e-mail message home. "If you see a soldier," he urged his parents, "thank them for the service they give," adding that some will be asked to "make the supreme sacrifice."

Tobler, who graduated from Franklin High School in Southeast Portland, was killed March 22 when the heavy truck he was riding in crashed into another. He was the only child of Gail and Leon Tobler.

After his death, members of the 671st Engineering Company erected a bridge over a river in Iraq, dedicating it in memory of their fallen comrade. They sent his family a photo of the unit standing on the structure.