. Brett E. Wood

to 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska;

Pfc. Brett E. Wood died Sept. 9 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.


‘I wish he knew how much I loved him’

By John Tuohy and Cindy Marshall
The Indianapolis Star

Two weeks ago, Army Pfc. Brett Wood visited his family and old high school while recovering from wounds suffered in Afghanistan.

Now his circle of friends and family are preparing to say goodbye to the young man killed Sept. 9 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

Wood, 19, Spencer, is Owen Valley High School’s first graduate to die in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He enlisted with his brother, Nikk, 21, in the summer of 2010.

“He was always the person that was positive,” said his sister, Amber Poland, 22.

“I wish he knew how much I loved him, how much I miss him and how proud I am of him.”

Nikk Wood returned from service in Afghanistan on Sept. 12, Poland said, and the family is planning funeral arrangements.

After it is released by the military, Wood’s casket is expected to arrive at Monroe County Airport in Bloomington, where community members are expected to gather, Poland said.

“We are so thankful for all of the support from the community. People have brought food, flags, flowers and candles. The support has been incredible,” she said, noting that her brother was proud to serve and “cherished life.”

Owen Valley High School principal Rhonda Schafer, who had been one of Brett Wood’s teachers, said Wood was just that kid of young man. “That’s the kind of patriotic person he was, and he had shared that he might do that with his friends.”

Wood, a 2010 Owen Valley graduate, came home over the summer to heal from head wounds suffered in another improvised explosive device blast.

Wood continued to suffer from mild headaches and dizziness but was later cleared to return to active duty, Poland said. During his visit home, Wood also took time to visit his high school.

“Just a couple weeks ago, he came here visiting everyone,” Schafer said. “I saw him briefly. He was friends with everyone because he was so outgoing. He got along with all students.”

The school held a moment of silence before its football game Sept. 9 for the victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and “for our local patriot,” Schafer said.

Wood’s body arrived at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Sept. 12. Students held a candlelight vigil for Wood on Sept. 11; he also was honored before class Sept. 12.

Wood and his three siblings — Nikk Wood; Cory Poland, 18; and Amber Poland — all attended the same high school, Amber Poland said.

The blended family didn’t draw distinction between relations; rather, they were close in age and close at heart, Poland said. To the siblings, the strong family bonds meant there were no “step” relatives.

“The only steps here are the ones that lead to the door,” Amber Poland said.