'A Natural-Born Leader,' Idaho Man Is Laid to Rest

Just four days after she should have been celebrating her 18th wedding anniversary, Cynthia Conner was instead accepting a folded American flag as her husband was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sgt. Maj. Bradly Dean Conner, 41, was killed May 9 when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Al-Hillah, Iraq, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. Conner, of Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, was a highly decorated 20-year veteran.

"He accepted everyone as they were," his father, William Conner, told the Idaho Statesman. "He made an impression on everybody's life. He was just outstanding."

Yesterday, more than 120 mourners gathered to pay tribute to the husband, father, friend and serviceman. A horse-drawn caisson, followed by family and members of the Special Forces, carried his flag-draped coffin to the grave site. He was the 341st service member killed in Iraq to be buried at Arlington.

Cynthia Conner and Conner's parents, William and Kay Conner, accepted flags from Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Csrnko, commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne). Sitting between Conner's wife and parents were his son, Aaron, 14, and one of his daughters, Katie, 12. His youngest daughter, Rachel, 6, stood close by. He is also survived by his brothers, Brian and Bruce Conner.

Conner was born in Tacoma, Wash., and lived there until he was 4, when his family moved to Idaho. His father said he was very active at Kellogg High School, where he participated in basketball, football, track, choir and ROTC.

After graduating from Kellogg in 1984, Conner studied at the University of Idaho and North Idaho College before enlisting, his sister, Brenda Day, told the Spokesman-Review newspaper of Spokane, Wash.

He enlisted in 1987, and served in a number of assignments with the Special Forces. He had numerous honors, including the Purple Heart, three Bronze Star Medals and three Meritorious Service Medals.

"The men that were under him had tremendous respect and admiration for him," Day told the Spokesman-Review. "He was a natural-born leader. He cared about everybody, no matter who they were."

William Conner said his son was a devout born-again Christian. He met his future wife at church while stationed in Alabama. They were married May 27, 1989, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

"I think he considered himself a warrior," Cynthia Conner told the Post-Intelligencer. "And so did the rest of us. We thought he was invincible."

Serving with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces group, based at Fort Lewis, Wash., Conner was on his fourth deployment to Iraq since 2003. He had been in Iraq for his current deployment since March.

"He loved what he did. He believed in the cause," Cynthia Conner told the Post-Intelligencer. "If you could talk to him today, he'd say they're really making progress, and we need to be there. He was extremely intelligent and well-spoken. He had quite a rapport with people he'd meet."

Conner was the second Idaho soldier to die in Iraq in as many days, his death coming one day after Cpl. Blake Stephens, 25, of Pocatello, was killed.