Bradly D. Conner dies of injuries from I.E.D.

Cynthia Conner knew little of what her husband did in the Army Special Forces, an elite, clandestine group skilled in unconventional warfare, such as building relationships in foreign countries to collect intelligence or attack strategic targets.

But she knew everything else about Army Sgt. Maj. Bradly Conner, a Tacoma native and career soldier who was gung-ho about serving, yet modest about his many awards.

"I think he considered himself a warrior," she said Friday from their home at Fort Lewis. "And so did the rest of us. We thought he was invincible."

Conner died Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded while he was riding in a Humvee during a patrol outside of Al-Hillah. The 41-year-old Green Beret was on his fourth deployment to Iraq -- a sergeant major of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group.

Conner's awards included three Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and three Meritorious Service medals.

"He was a true American," said his father, William, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He said his youngest son, a devout Christian, gave "his life for something he believed in. He was a soldier."

When Bradly Conner was about 4, his family moved from Tacoma to Kellogg, Idaho, where he grew up. He participated in ROTC at Kellogg High School, where he graduated in 1984. He briefly attended the University of Idaho, then transferred to North Idaho College.

Conner studied math and engineering and thought about becoming a teacher. But when his money ran out, he enlisted in the Army in June 1987, intending to stay in long enough to gain college aid.

Instead, he served for nearly 20 years. After completing basic training at Fort McClellan, Ala., Conner was stationed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., where he met his future wife.

They were married the next year, in 1989. He served in Operation Desert Storm in 1990, the first of four trips to Iraq before the current war started.

"He loved what he did. He believed in the cause," his wife said. "If you could talk to him today, he'd say they're really making progress, and we need to be there. He was extremely intelligent and well-spoken. He had quite a rapport with people he'd meet."

The couple would have celebrated their 18th anniversary May 27. They have three children: Aaron, 14, Katherine, 12, and Rachel, 6. Other survivors include his parents, William and Kay Conner; brothers Bruce Conner, of Rathdrum, Idaho, and Brian Conner, of Canby, Ore.; and a sister, Brenda Day, of Spokane. A service for Conner will be Wednesday at Fort Lewis.

He had called his wife for the final time May 4 and sent his children e-mail earlier this week.

"He was notorious for not calling me as often as he should, but it was always good when he did," Cynthia Conner said. "That's one reason why it was such a shock. We felt like we had just spoken to him. Like he had just been there."

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer