Bryan J. Opskar
Profile
Age: 32
From: Princeton, Minn.
Assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Incident: Marine Sgt. Bryan J. Opskar was killed July 23 when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device while he was conducting combat operations near Rutbah, Iraq.
Died: July 23, 2005
Marine killed while on patrol in Iraq
By Dave Kolpack
Associated Press
FARGO, N.D.— Friends and family of Sgt. Bryan Opskar say the North Carolina-based Marine from Moorhead, Minn., lived life at a fast pace. He liked to ride motorcycles in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter.
“He liked action,” said Opskar’s younger brother, Chris. “He was always the guy to keep the party going.”
Opskar, 32, a native of Princeton, Minn., was killed in Iraq on Saturday when a roadside bomb exploded. A military spokesman said he was conducting combat operations near Rutbah, Iraq.
“It’s a pretty down day in Princeton,” said Susan Bartholomew, a longtime family friend.
Opskar was engaged last Thanksgiving and married on New Year’s Eve to Leandra Dougherty of Fargo. The two of them had known each other for 12 years after working together at a local grocery store.
“He had me at paper or plastic,” Leandra...