Oregon Soldier Put To Rest Under A Patch of Blue

Sgt. Brennan Gibson grew up in Oregon and was a 1997 graduate of Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon.

Photo credit: iraqwarheroes.com Don't Let The Memory of Them Drift Away

(SHERWOOD) - The St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sherwood Oregon was packed Wednesday. Honoring Sgt. Brennan Gibson’s life were Pastor Richard Kiessling, who did the Officiating, Pastor Ken Brown, Pastor Walt Meinhardt and Pastor Harry Scholz. Governor Ted Kulongoski spoke at the Celebration of Life for Brennan. He was much more somber or quiet than usual, partly because this is the first soldier to be killed in the Christmas season and partly because the day of his memorial, December 27th, would have been Brennan's 27th birthday. Brennan Chriss Gibson was born in Van Nuys, California on Thursday, December 27th, 1979. He grew up in Oregon and was a 1997 graduate of Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon. In 2003 Brennan graduated from Oregon State University with a BA degree emphasizing graphic design and was a member of Theta Chi fraternity. Brennan spent much of his free time designing graphics and houses on his computer or sketching in one of a dozen sketch pads. He had a great sense of humor and a strong sense of doing his best in all his commitments. He met Corinna Jagow at OSU in 2001 and they were married at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sherwood on July 10th, 2004. Brennan left to begin his Army basic training later that same month and they have been stationed at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska since May 2005. Their son, Kaden, was born October 3rd of this year, and Sgt. Gibson was deployed to Iraq October 6th. On December 10th, Brennan and two fellow soldiers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne), 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division, were killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their patrol vehicle in Bagdad, Iraq. Surviving and left to honor his life are: His wife, Corinna and son, Kaden of Anchorage, Alaska; parents Kirk Elliott of Elkridge, MD and Linda and John Gibson of Springfield; five older brothers and sisters, Sean, Travis, Stacy, Stephanie and John, Jr.; many other relatives, and a host of friends including his brothers-in-arms still serving in Iraq. Brigadier Gen Raymond Byrne, Jr. and Col Chaplain John Dinsmore also spoke at the ceremony. After the church service, there was a small gathering on site and later they proceeded to Willamette National Cemetery in Portland for the private committal. It was a cold and windy day, but the moon could be seen through the patch of blue that opened up the sky over the cemetery. Sgt. Brennan Chriss Gibson was given full military honors.