Maryland's Fifty-Second Hero

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Originally uploaded by Randuwa

Army Spc. Thomas J. Barbieri, 24, of Gaithersburg, Md.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed Aug. 23 when his patrol encountered enemy forces small-arms fire during combat operations south of Baghdad.

HE WAS A HERO, A BRAVE SOLDIER

"He always talked about being a hero and he was,” said his mother. "That’s how he died, a hero.”

"He was a great kid,” said his father, Thomas Barbieri, "‘a good soldier, a brave soldier.”

T.J., as he was called, was the second oldest of four brothers.

"He was a great person, a great brother, a thoughtful brother,” said his mother, Carolann Barbieri. "The brothers had a closeness that was unusual.”

Growing up, there was always a lot of noise and rough-housing, she said.

"We were all super tight,” said his brother David, 27. "We all got into trouble together.”

"‘He was tough as nails,” said his brother Stephen, 22. "But he had a heart. He had a big heart.”

The family last spoke to Barbieri at around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning, his father said.

"We always told him that whenever he was by a phone, to call us 24 hours a day,” he said.

He sounded good on the phone, the family said.

"He was upbeat,” his mother said. "He sounded strong, but he didn’t like the heat. He told us he loved us and we told him we loved him.”