Sgt Brian C. Karim

22, US Army 

December 13 marks the passing of Sgt. Brian C. Karim, 22, US Army, of Talcott WV.   We honor and remember him, his mother Vera Adkins also of Talcott WV, and his family. He was born on January 27, 1983. 

Sgt Karim was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Riley, Kansas and was killed Dec. 13, 2005, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee while conducting combat operations in Taji, Iraq. He was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Brian, most recently lived in Nimitz WV with his wife, Rachel Lasley Karim, and their 2-year-old daughter, Janessa.

Brian, the son of Vera and Garland Adkins of Talcott, was a 2001 graduate of Summers County High School, a small school where everyone knows everyone, teacher Robert Mazzella said.

“Brian was a terrific kid,” Mazzella said. “He was kind, well-behaved and an A-No. 1 student. In a small school, it’s like a small family. It’s not like we have a thousand kids where you just pass them by. The students all become really close friends.”

Principal Lynn Crowder, who was assistant principal when Karim was in high school, remembered him as a kind, pleasant young man. “It’s very sad and hard on us,” she said. “We have several local boys serving in the military, and he has a sister that’s a student here. The teachers have been very emotional. “He was just one of the good kids. I’m sure this is really hard on his family. “Any time you lose a loved one, it is tragic, but this is not something like a car accident where you just ask, ‘Why? Why?’ Brian died serving his country. He died with honor, and that should comfort them. [His family] can be proud.”

 "It is hard for all of us to think he had so much potential and just to think that everything is now lost," said David Harvey, who graduated with Brian. Brian was on his second deployment to Iraq. Harvey said he last saw Karim about three months ago. He told him, "Oh, so you're back, thanks for serving over there, and thanks for doing this.'' And he said, ''You know, you're the first person to thank me,''

He is survived by his wife, Rachel, and a daughter, 2-year-old Janessa. He and his wife were voted cutest couple when they were seniors in high school.

Let us always remember him, his mother and his family and... 

Say His Name

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