Sergeant Major Bradly D. Conner was born on March 5, 1966, in Tacoma, Washington, the son of William and Kay Conner, and was raised in the Coeur d’Alene area of northern Idaho. At Kellogg High School, where he graduated in 1984, he played football and basketball, ran track, sang in the choir and took part in ROTC. He studied at the University of Idaho and North Idaho College before enlisting in the Army on June 24, 1987.
Brad began as an ammunition specialist. After Basic Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and Advanced Individual Training at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, he was assigned to the 515th Ordnance Company at Redstone Arsenal. There, in 1989, he met his wife, Cynthia, at church. In 1992 he volunteered for Special Forces, and after graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1993 he joined the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colorado, as a Special Forces medical sergeant. Over the following years he served as operations NCO for the 2nd Battalion, as a team sergeant and as first sergeant of Headquarters and Headquarters Company. He took part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, including the capture of Baghdad International Airport.
In 2006 Brad was promoted to sergeant major and became company sergeant major of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Fort Lewis, Washington; he reenlisted for six more years. In March 2007 he deployed on his fourth tour in Iraq. On May 9, 2007, while heading out on a combat patrol to check on one of his teams near Al Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, he was killed when an improvised explosive device struck his armored vehicle. Two other soldiers were wounded. He was 41.
His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with five oak leaf clusters, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge and the Special Forces Tab. He was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on May 31, 2007.
“The men that were under him had tremendous respect and admiration for him,” his sister, Brenda, said. “He was a natural-born leader. He cared about everybody, no matter who they were.” His mother, Kay, remembered a son who was outgoing, friendly and encouraging, and who gave his all to every goal he set.
While stationed at Fort Carson in 2001, Brad bought a fixer-upper 1968 Pontiac Firebird in Denver and spent years restoring it in his garage with his son, Aaron, while his daughters looked on; he planned to give the car to Aaron one day. After his death the Firebird sat unfinished for fourteen years, until Harry Zimmerman, the company medical sergeant who had served with Brad in Iraq, raised the money and gathered the help to finish it. On July 18, 2021, Aaron, by then an Army chaplain, walked out of a Sunday service at Fort Carson to find his father’s Firebird waiting for him. “I am confident that he would be swelling with pride knowing that his passion is shared and being driven by his son,” Aaron said.
Brad is survived by his wife, Cynthia; his son, Aaron; his daughters, Katie and Rachel; his parents, William and Kay; his brothers, Bruce and Brian; and his sister, Brenda.
Sources
- ARSOF History: Sergeant Major Bradly D. Conner
- DVIDS: Fallen Green Beret’s Dream is Realized (July 2021)
- The Spokesman-Review: CdA soldier buried in Arlington
- Green Beret Foundation memorial: Bradly D. Conner
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Brad Conner bio and 2026 honoree information sheet
