Brian J. Styer
U.S. Navy 1985 – 1996
Brian J. Styer grew up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania and was a 1985 graduate of Warrior Run High School in Turbotville, PA. Despite receiving a full-ride scholarship to college, college life had to wait. The invasion of Grenada and the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, were catalysts which launched him on a different path. Brian enlisted in the Navy Delayed Entry Program as a Seaman Recruit and later converted to Hospital Corpsman. Following basic training and Basic Hospital Corps School at Great Lakes, Ill., he was assigned to a Mobile Medical Augmentation Readiness Team, also known as a surgical support team. He was later chosen to be a member of a pioneering Quality Assurance (QA) team which evaluated procedures and established QA standards throughout Navy medicine.
In 1987, he met and married the love of his life – his wife, Sandy. Following schools for advanced emergency medical and combat arms training at Field Medical Service School, the newlyweds arrived at Support Battalion which provided emergency and field medical support for operational missions conducted from various platforms. He provided emergency medical care and ground/aircraft evacuation support while participating in twenty-mile forced marches, pistol and rifle range practice and proficiency qualifications, and assisting Marine combat engineers in various missions. In garrison, he provided daily routine sick call, preventive medicine, and health record maintenance for the worldwide deployable Fleet Marine Force.
A hard-working and conscientious Sailor, Brian was selected for Brigade Service Support Group Four (BSSG-4) as an Artic Warfare Medical Specialist and Artic Warfare Instructor. Thanks for BSSG-4’s designation as a Special Operations Capable unit, he deployed to Panama for Operation Just Cause 1988; Artic Warfare Teamwork 1988; Fort McCoy, Wis., for Operation Cold Winter 1989; and twice to Norway with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for joint military exercises against the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). These worldwide deployments further broadened his medical operational skills. Between deployments, Brian started his long-delayed college education while continuing to volunteer for whatever military school was available. After twelve years of honorable service, Hospital Corpsman Second Class Styer was medically retired from the Navy in 1996 due to injuries related to his wartime service and exposure to unknown materials during the Persian Gulf War of 1991.
For his service to our country, Brian was awarded the Navy Unit Citation, Combat Action Ribbon, Fleet Marine Force Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal w/Bronze Star, Humanitarian Service Medal, Southwest Asia Campaign Medal w/Bronze Star, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon, Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon, and Cold War Recognition Certificate.
Brian is extremely active in the community. He is a member of the Tipton County American Legion Post 67, Ray Pinner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4840, and Tipton County Veterans Council and has held numerous positions with each organization. He is also active with church and various community organizations. The list is extensive and includes the Mason Fire Department and the American Red Cross, with which he has deployment numerous times as a member of a disaster relief team. Brian cares deeply for others and is a trained instructor/facilitator with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and is a member of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. Brian has been a proud member of the Boy Scouts of America since his recruitment into Cub Scouts in the first grade. An Eagle Scout with a Silver Palm, he held numerous leadership roles at various Scouting levels. He was selected for the Scouting honor society, the Order of the Arrow, and is a Brotherhood member. He is a life member of the National Eagle Scout Association.
He and Sandy, an elementary school teacher, live in Atoka. Brian was nominated for Veteran of the Month by his friend, Kathy Desjarlais.