
BELLEVILLE, Ill. — A 22-year-old soldier from southern Illinois who died in a vehicle accident in Iraq is being remembered as a music-loving, McGyver-type who joined the Army two years ago to be a better man.
The Defense Department says Spc. Ja’mel Bryant of Belleville died Saturday while on patrol in Wahida, Iraq.
Bryant was part of the 40th Engineer Battalion in the 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Baumholder, Germany.
Bryant’s mother says her son taught himself to play the piano and joined the Army to change his life for the better. He recently promised to take her to “The Price is Right” and Paris if she lost 20 pounds, something she’s been trying to do.
Once Army Pfc Jamel A. Bryant and his...