Baby News Gives Comfort To Army Captain's Family

Brian Bunting wanted a big family like the one he grew up in.

He was the fifth of six children in a close-knit family built around traditions: They all attended the Bullis School in Potomac, and Tuesday night was, without fail, spaghetti night.

He and his wife, Nicki, 28, had their first child, Connor, in 2007. They planned for a second and during Bunting's leave from Afghanistan last month, they chose names: Bailey Ann for a girl, Cooper Coleman for a boy.

Bunting returned to Afghanistan and was killed two weeks later.

"I've always known he was a wonderful person," his wife said. "But since his passing, I've been receiving so many cards and notes from people who knew him . . . and so many of them say that he was an inspiration to people, and that I didn't know.

"That's what's helping me get through this, knowing his life was so full and it was truly a remarkable life," she said. "That's what's important -- the quality of life, not the length of it. We all feel so lucky to have had him in our lives. He meant so much to so many people."

Army Capt. Brian M. Bunting, 29, of Potomac and three other soldiers were killed Feb. 24 in Kandahar when a makeshift bomb detonated near their vehicle. Also killed were Sgt. Schuyler B. Patch, 25, of Owasso, Okla.; Sgt. Scott B. Stream, 39, of Mattoon, Ill.; and Sgt. Daniel J. Thompson, 24, of Madison, Wis.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) ordered flags in the state be flown at half-staff yesterday in Bunting's honor, and nearly 300 relatives and friends made the trek to Arlington National Cemetery for the burial. Connor, not yet 2, wore a blue suit and tie. During the service, he sat on his mother's lap and was presented with a folded flag.

Bunting was born in Rockville and later moved to Potomac. Everybody called him "Bubba," a nickname given to him by his oldest brother, Bobby.

The family lived in a house on the grounds of Bullis because both parents worked there; mother Rose was an upper school secretary, and father Robert was the director of operations.

"Whenever I had any question about anything, I always asked Bubba," said Kimmy Bunting, 22, the youngest sibling. "I looked and still look up to Bubba," she said.

He was the "geek" of the family who knew the answer to everything, she said, and he had two sides: the fun guy who could "light up a party with his smile," and the serious guy who cared deeply about "his family, friends and country" and world issues, compelling him to serve.