TITLE: In memory of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Brandon J. Landrum of Lawton, Oklahoma.

SUMMARY: In memory of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Brandon J. Landrum of Lawton, Oklahoma.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Words cannot adequately express the sorrow felt at the loss of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Brandon J. Landrum of Lawton, Oklahoma, who died in Afghanistan on May 4, 2013, at the age of 26; and WHEREAS, Assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry, 1st Armored Division out of Fort Bliss, First Lieutenant Landrum was one of five soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Maiwand, Afghanistan; and WHEREAS, Brandon Landrum was born in Lawton on December 5, 1986, to Jim and Jan Landrum; he graduated with honors from MacArthur High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2005; in 2008, he was deployed to Iraq, where he met another soldier, Miranda Shae Hornbeck, and they returned home on leave to be married in Lawton in May 2009; the couple were blessed with two children, Gabriel and Blakely; and WHEREAS, After earning a bachelor's degree with honors from Cameron University, this outstanding soldier earned a commission as a second lieutenant and attended the Infantry Basic Officer Leaders Course and Airborne School; in January 2012, he assumed the command of a rifle platoon at Fort Bliss at the rank of first lieutenant, and the following September he was selected to serve as Reconnaissance Platoon leader; he was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2012; and WHEREAS, First Lieutenant Landrum's commendations include a posthumous Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart, as well as the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal with a campaign star, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with a campaign star, a posthumous NATO Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge; and WHEREAS, Although the tragic death of this brave young man is a sobering reminder of the cost of war, Brandon Landrum embodied the highest ideals of the U.S. armed forces, and those who knew and loved him will forever carry him close in their hearts; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of U.S. Army First Lieutenant Brandon J. Landrum and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his wife, Miranda; to his children, Gabriel Brandon Landrum and Blakely Reagan Landrum; to his parents, Jim and Jan Landrum; to his sisters, Ali Church-Pugh and her husband, Sherman, Melissa Griego-Kastner and her husband, Kayle, and Eryn Killingsworth and her husband, Andrew; to his in-laws, Paula and Ross Hornbeck, Kayla Hornbeck, and Anthony Hornbeck; to his nieces and nephews, Kena Church, Riley Pugh, Ethan and Logan Griego, Kaden, Morgan, Tyler, Trevor, and Hunter Kastner, Kirsten and Mikayla Killingsworth, and Ty Chandler; and to his other relatives and friends; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Brandon Landrum. N. Gonzalez of El Paso Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2636 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 24, 2013. Chief Clerk of the House