Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell


Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell

Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell is the sole survivor of those working in the directorate at the time of the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. After the terrorists overtook American Airlines Flight 77 and collided into the Pentagon, Birdwell was thrown to the ground and engulfed in flames on the 2nd floor of the Pentagon.  Of the burns that consumed 60 percent of his body, nearly half were third-degree burns.  With more than 30 operations, months of multiple skin grafts and burn treatments, Birdwell is well on his way to a recovery to resume his service in the United States Army.

Lieutenant Colonel Brian D. Birdwell is a native of Fort Worth, Texas and graduated from Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas in May 1984.  Graduating as the Distinguished Military Graduate through Army ROTC, he continued his service in the United States Army at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. After being sent to serve in South Korea for 18 months, Birdwell returned to the states to meet his future wife, Mel.  In 1989, they traveled to their new station in Kitzingen, Germany.  While in Germany, Birdwell was deployed for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and earned a Bronze Star Medal for his action in the Gulf War.  In 1998, he also helped lead the Joint Task Force in support of relief operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. Birdwell is currently assigned to the Department of the Army staff at the Pentagon where he serves as the Executive Officer to the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.
 
He is married to the former Melva Collins of Davis, Oklahoma.  They have one son, Matthew, 12, whom Mel home schools, and one golden retriever, Hayley. They currently reside in Lorton, Virginia.