[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10988-10989]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                       Corporal Brandon M. Kirton

  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I report the 
passing of a brave soldier, loving son, dedicated husband, and proud 
father from Centennial, CO. CPL Brandon M. Kirton died on May 18, 2011, 
in

[[Page 10989]]

Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when his 
dismounted patrol received small arms and mortar fire. This is one of 
the most strategically important areas of Afghanistan. He was 25 years 
old.
  Family and friends remember Corporal Kirton as a warm, lighthearted 
young man. Robert Kirton, his father, said that his son's cheerful 
disposition at home provided a great contrast to the solemn commitment 
with which he faced his duties as a soldier. This makes perfect sense, 
Robert said, because Corporal Kirton had dreamed of putting on an Army 
uniform from an early age.
  Corporal Kirton attended Englewood High School in Englewood, CO, 
where he was a member of the baseball and soccer teams. He enlisted in 
the Army shortly after his graduation in 2004, and he was assigned to C 
Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne 
Division, based at Fort Campbell, KY. Corporal Kirton served a tour of 
duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan--both with distinction.
  His record as a soldier demonstrates the Army's proudest traditions 
of valor, commitment to duty, and strength of character. Corporal 
Kirton was carrying 70 pounds of gear when CPT Gary Flowers, his 
commander, first met him in Afghanistan in 115-degree heat. Captain 
Flowers offered to shoulder a bag for him, an offer which Corporal 
Kirton declined. He simply replied, ``Are you kidding me?''
  Corporal Kirton's commanding officers immediately recognized his 
exceptional bravery and talent. He earned, among other decorations, the 
Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign 
Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service 
Medal.
  Mark Twain once said, ``The fear of death follows from the fear of 
life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.'' Corporal 
Kirton's service was in keeping with this sentiment by selflessly 
putting country first, he lived life to the fullest. He lived with a 
sense of the highest honorable purpose.
  Mr. President, I stand with Colorado and people nationwide in 
profound gratitude for Corporal Kirton's tremendous sacrifice. He 
followed through on his dream of becoming a soldier in the U.S. Army 
and served honorably in Iraq and Afghanistan when his country needed 
him most. We are forever humbled by and indebted to the memory of his 
courageous actions. I ask my colleagues to join in me extending our 
deepest respects and condolences to Corporal Kirton's family.

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