Sgt. 1st Class Walden achieved a boyhood dream by becoming a Green Beret but it ended with his death in Iraq just seven months before he was supposed to retire from the Army. Family members weren't sure what to say when the young Walden told them of his ambition, recalled his aunt. There weren't a lot of Green Berets, so nobody ever dreamed that that's what he would become. But he lived long enough to wear that elite badge. He was due to retire in February and had long talked of returning to the Florida Panhandle with his wife, Autumn, and their daughter, Alexandria, of Dover, Pa. A native of Texas, he moved as a teen with mother, stepfather and two brothers. He graduated from Choctawhatchee High School, where he played football and participated in the Junior ROTC. He returned to the Panhandle with his wife and daughter for several years in the mid-1990s when he was an instructor at the Army's Ranger Camp at nearby Eglin Air Force Base. He loved his family dearly, enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson and hunting and fishing. Those who knew him only for a moment never forgot his smile, humor and kindness. He was a hero and a man of honor and courage who was never afraid when his country called him to duty. Brett was a member of the 5th Special Forces Group, a U.S. Army Airborne Ranger Instructor, achieved the Expert Infantry Badge and Combat Infantry Badge, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Iraqi & Afghanistan Campaign Medal and most recently was awarded his second Bronze Star, The Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart. Surviving are his loving wife, Autumn Walden and his precious daughter, Alexandria Walden; his father, Hobson E. Walden; and two brothers, Chad Holland and Lee Walden. He was preceded in death by his mother, Brenda Holland Walden. He was 40.

Army
1st Battalion,
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne),
Fort Campbell, Ky.