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Name: Navy Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill
Age: 31
From: Stamford, CT
Assigned to an East Coast-based SEAL team
Incident: Navy Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill
died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter in which he was riding was shot down.
Fallen SEAL remembered as athletic, driven
Staff and wire reports
From his days as a student athlete at a Stamford, Conn., high school, Brian Bill was clear on his career goal: He wanted to join the SEALs.
Bill was remembered by friends and teachers as a dedicated young man who wanted to be the best at anything he pursued.
&ldquoHe set his standards high. He was that kind of person,&rdquo said Kimberly Hess, a friend who graduated from Norwich University in Vermont with Bill in 2001. &ldquoHe was remarkably gifted and very thoughtful. There wasn&rsquot anything he wouldn&rsquot do for you no matter the time or day.&rdquo
Bill&rsquos family said he wanted to return to graduate school after completing his military service and hoped to become an astronaut. He was also a mountaineer, a skier, a pilot and triathlete.
&ldquoWe are heartbroken in our loss,&rdquo his family said in a statement. &ldquoBrian was a remarkably gifted, thoughtful, and compassionate young man. We are incredibly proud of him. He was a treasured son, grandson, brother, uncle and cousin. He loved life he loved a challenge and he was passionate about being a SEAL.&rdquo
&ldquoWe thank all the SEALS who gave their lives this week and share our sorrow with the families of those dedicated men who fought for our safety and freedom,&rdquo Bill&rsquos mother and stepfather, Patricia and Michael Parry, and his father, Scott Bill, said in the statement.
Bill had been decorated many times for valor on deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
&ldquoHis death is tragic and it&rsquos really fitting that he was going to help others,&rdquo Hess said.
Diane Warzoha, who had Bill as a student in a language class at Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford, said he was in many ways a typical high school student who played hockey and soccer, but it was no surprise that he fulfilled his goal of joining the SEALs.
&ldquoBrian just wanted to do his best, to protect other people. Brian wanted to be the best at whatever he did. Challenge did not deter him ever,&rdquo said Warzoha, an assistant principal at the school.
&ldquoWe&rsquore deeply, deeply saddened. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family. It&rsquos just so sad,&rdquo she said.
Bill enlisted in July 2001. He graduated from Naval Aviation Technical Training Command in Pensacola, Fla., in November 2001 and Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training in Coronado, Calif., in November 2002. He joined his East Coast-based SEAL team in June 2003.
Bill&rsquos decorations include the Bronze Star with combat &lsquoV&rsquo device for valor Joint Service Commendation Medal with combat &lsquoV&rsquo device for valor Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal Combat Action Ribbon Presidential Unit Citation Navy Unit Citation Good Conduct Medal National Defense Service Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal Iraq Campaign Medal Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Rifle Expert Medal and Pistol Expert Medal.
SEAL remembered in service at alma mater
The Associated Press
STAMFORD, Conn. &mdash A Navy SEAL resident who was among the 30 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan last week was remembered Aug. 13 as hard-working, quiet and determined.
Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer Brian R. Bill was recalled by the Rev. Richard Futie as reserved due partly to his military training.
Religious and political leaders gathered at Trinity Catholic High School to remember Bill, who was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade fired by the Taliban downed a Chinook helicopter, according to The Advocate of Stamford. Bill graduated from Trinity in 1997.
Cletus Burke, a Franciscan brother who taught at Trinity, recalled Bill as determined and focused.
And Diocese of Bridgeport Bishop William Lori said Bill was one of the few young persons on whom older people put their hopes.
&lsquoAll-around stand-up guy&rsquo is remembered
The Associated Press
STAMFORD, Conn. &mdash Family and friends of a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan earlier this month gathered Aug. 19 in Connecticut for his funeral, praising him for his courage and love of country.
Navy Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, was honored and remembered by hundreds during a service in his hometown. Bill was one of 30 Americans and eight Afghans killed Aug. 6 when the Taliban shot down their helicopter.
&ldquoToday we mourn the loss of our son, brother, friend, and hero,&rdquo his mother, Patricia Parry, and stepfather, Michael Parry, said in a statement released to the media that thanked family, friends, the community and Navy for the support they have received. &ldquoWe also celebrate Brian&rsquos life and honor his courage and his service to our country. He died alongside his friends, his teammates, some of the bravest men this world has ever known.&rdquo
Bill joined the Navy because he loved his country and its freedoms, his family said.
&ldquoHe was incredibly brave and determined, with a fierce sense of humor and had amazing opportunities in life because of his strengths and talents,&rdquo his parents said. &ldquoHe was truly special, not only to our family, but to this country. Brian meant the world to us, and there will always be an emptiness in our hearts and souls.&rdquo
Stamford firefighter Patrick Sasser, who attended Trinity Catholic High School with Bill, called him an &ldquoall-around stand-up guy&rdquo in an interview before the funeral. He said Bill, an Eagle Scout, was interested in the military in high school and talked about joining the Navy Seals.
&ldquoAnything he did he put 110 percent effort into it,&rdquo Sasser said. &ldquoThings just came very natural to him. No fear.&rdquo
Classmates held a candlelight vigil in Bill&rsquos honor. Flags were flown at half-staff in his memory in Connecticut and Vermont, where he graduated from Norwich University.
Died: August 6, 2011
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Condolences :
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Prayers & Condolences For:
Brian R. Bill
BY John on Sep 02, 2011 | |  | May the grace of God, the love of Jesus, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you and your family forever.
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