In Memory of SPC Connor Westley LeRoy Brumfield
August 3, 2000 – April 13, 2023
US Army, 3-4 Air Defense Artillery, Al Udeid, Qatar
“Connor was the second child of four, one of three boys. He played baseball, soccer, trombone in school band, acted in numerous plays, acquired his Technician amateur radio operators license, earned his Eagle Scout award, and became a certified, professional welder before he joined the Army.
He joined the Army as a 25-C, Radio Operator/Maintainer on a Schedule 40, to become an Army Ranger. He did not pass pre-RASP, after AIT. The Army decided to phase-out the 25-C MOS, so Connor and several other soldiers were sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma with the 5-5 Air Defense Artillery Regiment for 2.5 years with nothing to do but menial work. Connor was very upset by this turn of events and tried relentlessly to find a way out of this situation. He investigated re-classing to another MOS, but the Army had minimum service requirements that he did not meet. He attempted to join the Special Forces but was washed out during physical assessments.
He was promised Airborne School three times but was never sent, due to budget constraints. He applied to deploy to El Salvador but ran into more red tape – his first packet returned “with errors” but he was not given any information on what the errors were. He re-submitted a packet, following the template closely, but that packet was “lost.” He submitted a third packet, and it took over three weeks for the processing, and by that time the unit had already deployed. He was unable to train during the day because the 5-5 unit did not have enough computers for training, and he was not allowed to stay home to study.
In 2021 he crashed his 1993 Jeep Wrangler returning from a backpacking trip in Arkansas, rolling the Jeep at 65 miles per hour. He was life-flighted to Dallas and released the next day. He had no visible injuries apart from a rash on his neck and a small cut on his left leg. His guardian angel was working overtime. What was unknown was that he suffered a traumatic brain injury, and developed a sleep disorder, migraine headaches, chronic nerve pain, and sleep apnea. This accident would haunt him for the remainder of his life.
After 2.5 years, in late 2021 he was finally re-classed as a 25-U and he found a deployment to Qatar with the 4-3, and that request was finally approved. His last six months in the Army was his favorite time; he had a job, he knew what to do, it made sense, and he was appreciated for the work. It seems that the damage was done, Connor was suffering from deep depression but never talked to anyone about it, except the Army medical personnel.
Connor took his terminal leave in November and spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with his family. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; he was his normal, quiet self, coping with the weight of his decision to leave Ohio or Montana. He departed Ohio with his belongings on December 30th, 2022. He officially departed the Army on January 22, 2023 and moved to Butte, Montana to pursue higher education at Montana Technological University, studying Mechanical Engineering with a Welding Engineering minor. He was an A student.
Prescribed anti-depressants by the VA on April 1, 2023, he took his own life on April 13, 2023 in his apartment. This irreversible action took everyone who knew him by surprise. He had been off of active duty for only 82 days.” – Shared by Connor’s father.
Connor Westley LeRoy Brumfield, 22, a student in Butte, Montana, formerly of rural Marysville, died unexpectedly April 13, 2023.
He was born August 3, 2000 in Denver Colorado to his parents, Brian and Kimberlie (Decker) Brumfield.
Connor was an Eagle Scout with Troop 440 in Richwood. He was a 2018 Graduate of the Tri-Rivers Joint Vocational School. He exited the US Army honorably in January of 2023 as an E4, 25U Signal Systems Support Specialist with the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 5-5 & 4-3 Air Defense Battalions at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Connor was currently a student at Montana Technological University, studying Mechanical Engineering and Welding Engineering. He was a welder, licensed amateur radio operator, photography enthusiast, hiker and backpacker.
Surviving are his parents, Brian and Kimberlie Brumfield of rural Marysville, siblings; Ian, Trevor and Caitlin, grandmother; Su’elyn Peters of Marysville, grandfather, Col. LeRoy R. Peters US Army (Ret) of Florida and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Memorial services to honor Connor will be held Monday May 15, 2023 at 6 pm at the Richwood First United Methodist Church. Pastor Joseph Rhea will officiate. Friends may call two hours prior to the service beginning at 4 pm at the church. Following the service, there will be a procession to the Claibourne Cemetery, where there will be Full Military Honors given by the Vietnam Veterans of America #1095 and the US Army.
Connor was born in Denver, Colorado. He grew up in Marysville, Ohio. He died in Butte, Montana.
#22TooMany #OurHeroes are #NeverForgotten
