Hometown: Owensboro, KY
Branch: U.S. Army 
Unit: 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska
Military Honors: Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: August 25, 2011 - KIA in Kandahar province, Afghanistan
Age: 21
Conflict: War in Afghanistan, 2001-2021

Brandon Mullins, of Owensboro, Kentucky, had a long family history of military service. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, father, and grandfather, Brandon was fully aware of the risks when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in March of 2010.

Mullins graduated from Owensboro’s Apollo High School in 2008.

After completing basic training in Fort Benning, Georgia, Mullins was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, in June of that year.

Being sent north to Alaska was far from a problem for Mullins. “He loved hockey, hunting, and fishing,” said his mother, Cathy. “He loved his time in Alaska.”

Brandon Mullins’ 4,000-member brigade deployed to Afghanistan in April of 2011 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Global War on Terror, replacing a Canadian unit that had been assigned to the Afghan provinces of Kandahar, Uruzgan, and Zabul.

On August 25, 2011, Spc. Mullins and three other soldiers were driving through Kandahar province when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. Brandon Scott Mullins was killed by the improvised explosive device (IED), and the three other soldiers were wounded.

Army Gen. Steve Lyons would later say that Spc. Mullins was the heart of his platoon, and the epitome of service. “Some people can live their entire lives wondering, did they make a difference,” Lyons said. “We never have to wonder about Brandon’s life.”

For his service and sacrifice, Brandon Mullins was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart medal.

According to his family, Mullins loved his time in the military and was planning to re-enlist. “He was often on the edge of trouble during high school, but the military allowed him to find himself,” his mother said. “He gave it all, and he will outlive all of us because of that.”

Sources
Details submitted by Cathy Mullins, Spc. Mullins’ Gold Star Mother
Military Times Honor the Fallen: Army Spc. Brandon S. Mullins
Kentucky Remembers: The Brandon Scott Mullins Memorial Foundation
WXIX Fox19 Now: Owensboro soldier killed in Afghanistan
The Owensboro Times: Mullins family accepts Ford Oval of Honor on behalf of fallen son
Burial Site: Find a Grave