We Honor and Remember:
Pvt Bradley W. Iorio
Hometown: Galloway, New Jersey, U.S. Age: 19 years old. Died: May 29, 2009 in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unit: Army HQ and HQ Company, Special Troops Bn., 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Tx. Birth: Feb. 4, 1990, Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA. Army Pvt. Iorio was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas. He died May 29 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries sustained from a noncombat related incident (accidentally shot) May 27 in Tallil, Iraq – 6 days after arriving in Tallil. Bradley graduated in 2008 from Absegami High School in Galloway Township, New Jersey and enlisted in the Army in August. While in high school, he was an active member of the drama club, designing and building sets for productions. Brad joined the military as a way to help him pay for college to pursue a medical degree and to serve his country. While in the Army, he hoped to become a medic and he seemed to be excelling in the military, thanks to his shooting skills and selfless, team-oriented nature. Brad loved his Legos, cub scouts, playing video and computer games with his brother Rick, soccer, hockey, the Emanon Players, his youth groups, camping with his brother Vinnie at Creation, haunting the Village on Halloween and looked forward to one day owning his dream Mustang. With the Emanon Players he traveled to England and Scotland, received National Honor Thespian, The McGyver Award, The Door Knob Award, The Emanon Players Backstage Award twice and Absegami's Best Thespian. Brad was quiet but had an amazing sense of humor, had two speeds - sleeping and 110 percent, would never get hurt doing dangerous things but then could be standing still and suddenly his foot would start hurting. He was smart, selfless and religious – a perfect kid who was a blessing to the world. Burial: Germania Cemetery, Germania, Atlantic County, New Jersey, USA. |
Gold Star Mother Laura Iorio, right, is hugged by a service member from the 2015 NJ Run for the Fallen team at the Hero Marker for her son, U.S. Army Pvt. Bradley W. Iorio, at Galloway Township Veterans Memorial Park in Galloway Township, N.J., Sept. 25, 2015.
Pvt. Bradley W. Iorio, 19, died Friday at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. military hospital in Germany. Iorio, a resident of Galloway Township in Atlantic County, had been injured two days earlier in Tallil, Iraq, about 190 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Anthony Librizzi, a family friend who coached Iorio in youth soccer, said the teen joined the Army after graduating from Absegami High School in Galloway as a means of paying for college and pursuing a medical degree.
"He was looking for an avenue to become a doctor, and he thought he could serve his country and go into the medical field at the same time," said Librizzi, 56, a retired police detective who broke down in tears as he spoke of Iorio. "This kid was a perfect kid, and I don't know anybody who couldn't say he was a blessing to the world. It's just a tremendous loss."
At the high school, Iorio was an active member of the drama club, designing and building sets for productions, said Chip Garrison, a drama teacher and the club's supervisor.
"He was quite a leader for our organization," Garrison said. "He was very talented in stage design. I was trying to push him into a career in stage design, but he had plans. He was going to join the military, and he believed that would help him pay for college."
Iorio was assigned to a support battalion of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, part of the 1st Armored Division. The Fort Bliss spokeswoman said Iorio had deployed to Iraq in the past two months.Iorio made some reference to his service on his MySpace page. On May 26, a day before his injury, he wrote that he was learning the noncommissioned officers' creed.
Librizzi said Iorio would have made a "fine officer" had he chosen to remain with the army."He was so smart," Librizzi said.
Anthony Librizzi, a family friend who coached Iorio in youth soccer, said the teen joined the Army after graduating from Absegami High School in Galloway as a means of paying for college and pursuing a medical degree.
"He was looking for an avenue to become a doctor, and he thought he could serve his country and go into the medical field at the same time," said Librizzi, 56, a retired police detective who broke down in tears as he spoke of Iorio. "This kid was a perfect kid, and I don't know anybody who couldn't say he was a blessing to the world. It's just a tremendous loss."
At the high school, Iorio was an active member of the drama club, designing and building sets for productions, said Chip Garrison, a drama teacher and the club's supervisor.
"He was quite a leader for our organization," Garrison said. "He was very talented in stage design. I was trying to push him into a career in stage design, but he had plans. He was going to join the military, and he believed that would help him pay for college."
Iorio was assigned to a support battalion of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, part of the 1st Armored Division. The Fort Bliss spokeswoman said Iorio had deployed to Iraq in the past two months.Iorio made some reference to his service on his MySpace page. On May 26, a day before his injury, he wrote that he was learning the noncommissioned officers' creed.
Librizzi said Iorio would have made a "fine officer" had he chosen to remain with the army."He was so smart," Librizzi said.
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