Stilwell, Brian Lee

Also known as: MSG, COMPANY D, 2ND BATTALION, 149TH AVIATION REGIMENT, 36TH COMBAT AVIATION BRIGADE, LEXINGTON, OK

Combatant

Male Verified

DiedDecember 25, 2017

Age56 years old

Location of DeathBETHESDA, UNITED STATES

Cause of DeathDied from injuries sustained in a non-combat incident in Iraq on December 15, 2017.

Conflict Operation Inherent Resolve

U.S. Army Master Sergeant Brian Lee Stilwell, 56, of Coweta, Oklahoma, died on December 25, 2017, in Bethesda, Maryland. He was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade.

Their Story

Master Sergeant Brian Lee Stilwell was a 56-year-old soldier from Coweta, Oklahoma, serving with the Oklahoma Army National Guard. He was a member of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, part of the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade based in Lexington, Oklahoma. Stilwell was deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Stilwell died on December 25, 2017, at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Pentagon stated his death was the result of a non-combat incident that occurred on December 15, 2017, in Iraq. He was medically evacuated from the theater for treatment.

Stilwell's death occurred during Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. In late 2017, the coalition was engaged in intense combat operations to clear ISIS from its remaining urban strongholds, including the final battles in the city of Raqqa, Syria, which concluded in October of that year.

The Oklahoma National Guard confirmed Stilwell's death in a public release. His passing was reported by several local and national news outlets, which noted he was the second Oklahoma Guardsman to die in support of the operation within a month.

Master Sergeant Stilwell was posthumously promoted from Sergeant First Class. He is memorialized on the Oklahoma National Guard's fallen soldier tribute page and at the Global War on Terrorism memorial at the Oklahoma Veterans Memorial Park.