One soldier was on his way home for the birth of his first child. The other was in the middle of his third tour in the Middle East.
Both soldiers from Colorado died over the weekend in Iraq.
Sgt. Ryan J. Baum from Aurora died Friday in Karmah when a sniper’s bullet hit him in the neck. He was 27.
Sgt. 1st Class Scott J. Brown from Windsor died Friday in Baghdad after his unit was hit with an improvised bomb and small-arms fire. He was 33.
Baum was expected back today because his wife, Amber, is giving birth any day, said his brother-in-law, Kurt Nantkes of Aurora.
“He was just so excited to be a dad,” Nantkes said.
The baby, whom the couple had already named Leia, was their first child. The had been married about a year.
Amber Baum lives in Alaska, where her husband was based with the 25th Infantry Division at Fort Richardson. Ryan Baum was a U.S. Army Ranger medic, Nantkes said, and had been in the military about four years.
Baum was scheduled to be home for two weeks.
“They didn’t want him to go on his last mission,” Nantkes said of Baum’s military commanders, “but he wasn’t going to let anyone take care of his guys, so he went. … That’s the kind of guy he was.”
Baum’s parents, Dana and Richard Baum, still live in the house where he grew up, in the 4700 block of South Ouray Way. His older brother, Jason, lives across the street.
Baum graduated from Smoky Hill High School in 1997. The Army was good for him, said his sister, Mande Nantkes.
An ironic role
“It saved his life,” she said, “but it ended up killing him in the long run.”
She added: “I’m just sad he’s not going to be able to hold his daughter.”
Sgt. 1st Class Scott J. Brown already had children.
He put more pride into loving his family and serving as a role model to those under him than he did in the commendations and awards he got, his older sister said Monday.
“He was just so humble about it all,” said Debbi Hood of Kiowa. “We’d ask him about his medals, and he’d just say ‘Yeah, I got this and that,’ and that would be about it.”
This was Brown’s third tour of duty in the Middle East. From February 2003 through January 2004 he was in Iraq; from July 2005 through November 2005 he served in Afghanistan.
His family knew that every time he went back, the chances grew he would not make it home. He was supposed to attend drill sergeant’s school after a brief stay at home with his wife, Delilah, in December.
Back for another stint
But, instead, he was sent back to the war for another stint, Hood said.
Still, the Army life is what he wanted.
“He loved it,” she said. “He always wanted to be a soldier, and he was proud of his job and what he did for his country.”
His widow concurred.
“Scott loved the Army. He loved his job,” Delilah Brown said. “He was just unbelievable.”
She lives near Fort Bragg, N.C., along with Brown’s two stepdaughters, Cassandra and Victoria. Fort Bragg was Brown’s home post.
Brown also had a son, 11-year-old Taylor, with high school girlfriend Kristen Leedom of New Berlin, Wis.
Brown joined the Army in March 1998, and he reported to the 82nd Airborne Division in December 2000.
He quickly earned the respect of those around him.
“Sgt. First Class Scott Brown was a natural leader,” said Capt. Phillip Smith, the rear detachment commander for 1st Battalion. “His tactical expertise was a great asset to his commanders and an excellent example for his subordinates.”
When Brown left in December, he told his wife not to expect him back until January 2008.
“All my prayers and thoughts were with him every morning, every night, every time I talked to him online or wrote him e-mails every day,” Delilah Brown said. “He was the backbone of my family. He was my life.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
Staff writer Carlos Illescas can be reached at 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com.
