BRUNS, CEDRIC

Cedric E. Bruns was born on April 22, 1981 in Vancouver Washington and was a graduate of Prairie High School.  

LCpl Bruns joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves and became a Combat Engineer which is trained to do everything from demolition to building. He was assigned to the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Force Service Support Group in Eugene, Oregon. 

LCpl Bruns unit was one of the first units to deploy to Iraq to pave the way for incoming forces to move about the county safely. It was his deployment that his parents said he grew up. In his letters home, he talked about going to college, buying a house and digging into the family history. “He realized that what he had always taken for granted was going to be different when he got back here,” said his mother, Debbie Bruns. 

Some of his fellow Marines remembered him for the fun times and the parties, but once he arrived in Kuwait. LCpl Bruns kicked into high gear and took on responsibility. He was made Captain of the Guard and volunteered to be a squad leader.  LCpl Bruns had written about the backbreaking labor in Kuwait filling sandbags and building bunkers to hide from Iraqi Scud missile attacks. "Things are starting to pick up a little," he wrote in one of his last notes before the war started. "We've been doing a lot of training exercises. They tell us we're leaving this camp soon to move in to occupy Iraq and Baghdad." 

LCpl Bruns died on 09 May, 2003 when the Humvee he was driving was struck on the driver's side by a "logistics vehicle system," a large, off-road rig similar to a tractor-trailer. The collision occurred in a blinding wind. 

LCpl Bruns was one of the first Washatonian to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

The Washington State Fallen Heroes Project proudly remembers LCpl Cedric Bruns for his service, sacrifice, and commitment to our nation. His life continues to inspire all who learn his story.