Spc. Narson B. Sullivan
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Hometown: North Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
Age: 21 years old Died: April 25, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unit: Army, 411th Military Police, Fort Hood, TX. Birth: Apr. 23, 1982
Brunswick Gardens Middlesex County New Jersey, USA Death: Apr. 25, 2003, Iraq Army Spc. Sullivan was assigned to 411th Military Police Company, Fort Hood, Texas. Sullivan died when he was cleaning his weapon, it discharged and a round struck him in the head. At the time of his death, Sullivan was serving in a forward operations area. Narson was the type of person that, if you just knew him for a couple of minutes, you felt like you’ve known him forever. He was always happy and smiling. He would do anything in his power to cheer someone up, even if it meant making a complete fool of himself. While in school, he studied the culinary arts and played varsity soccer. Sullivan entered the Army on August 11, 2000. He wanted to go to college, and enlisting in the Army was a way that he could finance his education. Sullivan would visit the East Brunswick Middlesex County Vocational & Technical School campus after graduation, dressed in his military uniform. He liked to listen to cellist Yo-Yo Ma and was well known for his efforts of raising money for sick children and collecting canned food for poor residents in the North Brunswick, New Jersey area. Burial: Franklin Memorial Park (North Brunswick) North Brunswick Middlesex County New Jersey, USA |
Teachers recall Narson Sullivan rollerblading through the hallways
and courtyards of his high school — a tall, athletic and handsome kid
whose enthusiasm for life was infectious.
“You’d go out there to admonish him about violating the school rules by rollerblading in the courtyard, and the next thing you knew, you had the darn things on your own feet and he was teaching you how to skate,” said Rob Allen, a teacher at Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School in North Brunswick, N.J.
Sullivan, 21, graduated in 2000 and joined the Army with his longtime friend, Matthew Richter. They had expected to serve on the buddy system but got separated. Sullivan, based at Fort Hood in Texas, was killed April 25 in Iraq when he was cleaning his weapon and it discharged, according to the Defense Department.
“He was really a great kid. A nice person. Focused and polite,” recalled his high school principal, Diane Veilleux. “He always had a beautiful smile.”
Nancy Richter, his best friend’s mother, who works at the school, said, “I remember him and Matt, eating, watching TV, making plans. He used to call me ‘Mom,’ which was part of his sense of humor — because we’re white and he was black. He liked to see people’s eyebrows go up.”
His aunt, Tabatha Sullivan, said, “The thing that’s so upsetting is that we thought this was all over and that he was out of danger. We want everyone to know that we’re praying for all the other soldiers who are there. We wish they all could come home safe.”
— USA Today
“You’d go out there to admonish him about violating the school rules by rollerblading in the courtyard, and the next thing you knew, you had the darn things on your own feet and he was teaching you how to skate,” said Rob Allen, a teacher at Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School in North Brunswick, N.J.
Sullivan, 21, graduated in 2000 and joined the Army with his longtime friend, Matthew Richter. They had expected to serve on the buddy system but got separated. Sullivan, based at Fort Hood in Texas, was killed April 25 in Iraq when he was cleaning his weapon and it discharged, according to the Defense Department.
“He was really a great kid. A nice person. Focused and polite,” recalled his high school principal, Diane Veilleux. “He always had a beautiful smile.”
Nancy Richter, his best friend’s mother, who works at the school, said, “I remember him and Matt, eating, watching TV, making plans. He used to call me ‘Mom,’ which was part of his sense of humor — because we’re white and he was black. He liked to see people’s eyebrows go up.”
His aunt, Tabatha Sullivan, said, “The thing that’s so upsetting is that we thought this was all over and that he was out of danger. We want everyone to know that we’re praying for all the other soldiers who are there. We wish they all could come home safe.”
— USA Today
