Timothy P. Brooks, 36, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, died of cancer May 29, 2004, at the Capital Hospice in Arlington, Virginia. He was a Fort Belvoir, Virginia resident.
Colonel Brooks was born in Panorama City, California, and was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He received a master’s degree from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1998.
He joined the military and served three years in Germany as a platoon leader in Bradley fighting vehicles, as a mobile mortar unit leader and as a company executive officer. As a Captain, he was Company Commander of the Old Guard at Fort Myer. As a Major, he was aide-de-camp for the President of the National Defense University in Washington.
Colonel Brooks served in Afghanistan as the Battalion Operations Major at Division Headquarters for the officer in charge of all U.S. ground troops.
Most recently, he was chief of future operations and force modernization for the Third U.S. Infantry Regiment at Fort Myer. Among his awards was the Legion of Merit and a Bronze Star for his work in Afghanistan.
Colonel Brooks was a youth soccer and basketball coach and Cub Scout master of the Fort Drum, New York, pack. He taught religious education and was an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist at Catholic churches where he was stationed.
Survivors include his wife, Kim E. Brooks of Fort Belvoir; four children, Meghan, Brian, John and Stephen Brooks, all of Fort Belvoir; his parents, Sheila and Dennis Brooks of New Milford, Connecticut; two sisters; and a brother.
BROOKS, TIMOTHY P., LTC. U.S. ARMY (AGE 36)
On Saturday, May 29, 2004 of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. A native of New Milford, Connecticut, he is the beloved husband of 14 years of Kim E. Brooks; loving father of Meghan, Brian, John and Stephen Brooks; son of Dennis and Sheila Brooks of New Milford, Connecticut; brother of Maureen A. Ross of Melrose, Massachusetts, Neil E. Brooks of Bedford Corners, New York and Ellen K. Brooks of Norwalk, Conecticut.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, June 4, at 3 p.m. at the Fort Myer Memorial Chapel. Interment with Full Military Honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the T. Brooks Children Education Fund, P.O. Box 1588, New Milford, Connecticut 06776.
Family and friends celebrate the life of Lt. Col. Tim Brooks
October 01, 2004
By Lynda Wellman
Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Brooks died May 29 at age 36
On a gorgeous fall day last weekend in New Milford, more than 200 family members and friends gathered at a memorial service to celebrate the life of Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Paul Brooks.
Colonel Brooks, a highly decorated graduate of the United States Military Academy, lost a valiant struggle with brain cancer May 29, 2004, at the age of 36.
Friends and colleagues have praised him repeatedly for serving with distinction and honor and living the Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage as well as the Soldier’s Creed.
Members of the Brooks family, including his wife, Kim, and their four young children, Meghan, Brian, John and Stephen, were joined Saturday afternoon by former high school and West Point classmates and family friends who gathered in the high school auditorium.
Colonel Brooks graduated from New Milford High School in 1985 and West Point in 1989.
“He was so many things to so many people,” his wife said.
Mrs. Brooks reminisced that they met at Boston College at a BC-Army football game and “he won my heart.”
“He loved this town,” Mrs. Brooks said of New Milford. “He was immensely proud of this slice of America.”
She described her six-foot-five husband as a “giant of a man, pure in heart and spirit,” a loving father who was “a tough army man, an awesome dad” who played ball with other military kids whose fathers were deployed.
“He was excited about everything he did,” Mrs. Brooks told those gathered for the service. “He loved life… He didn’t want to leave.”
The gathering included his parents, Dennis and Sheila Brooks; his sisters, Maureen and Ellen; his brother Neil; and co-workers of his parents. His mother taught at Northville Elementary School in New Milford for many years and is now a teacher at the town’s Sarah Noble Intermediate School.
Also in attendance were many of her husband’s former teachers, coaches and scout leaders.
Local dentist David Lynch described Colonel Brooks as a strong, courageous and gallant soldier who had been on a fast track to becoming a General.
“Sometimes it is hard to understand why some things have to be,” Dr. Lynch said, sharing that he and his wife has lost a son at three months of age.
“One day you, too, will be reunited with your Tim,” he told family and friends.
Kevin Gullick, a West Point classmate of Colonel Brooks now with the FBI, said his close friend was a “very proud son of New Milford” who “challenged me… caused me to pursue excellence.”
He said Colonel Brooks had the ability to motivate people, but never in an offensive way.
Colonel Brooks, who served with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan, was preparing for deployment to Iraq when he was diagnosed with cancer in May 2003.
“He was a source of inspiration and awe to me,” said Mr. Gullick, adding that Colonel Brooks fought cancer “as a warrior.”
For Saturday’s memorial service, a five-soldier color guard unit traveled from Fort Myer, Virginia, where Colonel Brooks had served as company commander in the Old Guard. The color guard placed the flags in stands behind a spotlighted photograph of Colonel Brooks in his Army dress blues.
His last assignment was chief of future operations and force modernization for the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Fort Myer.
Regimental commander Colonel Charles Taylor spoke at Colonel Brooks’ funeral on June 4, 2004. He said Colonel Brooks could have taken medical retirement, or gone to a “medical hold company” but instead he had returned to The Old Guard.
In August, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment celebrated the activation of the 1st Battalion Headquarters as part of a reorganization of the regiment to increase its operational readiness in support of the Joint Forces Headquarters National Capital Region. It was a reorganization that Colonel Brooks planned but did not live to execute.
Saturday’s two-hour memorial service included video excerpts from Colonel Brooks’ funeral and his burial with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery near the grave of his paternal grandfather.
BROOKS, TIMOTHY
- LTC US ARMY
- DATE OF BIRTH: 07/24/1967
- DATE OF DEATH: 05/29/2004
- BURIED AT: SECTION 64 SITE 7100
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard