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Marine killed in crash had relatives in Talent By MELISSA MARTIN Mail Tribune A 23-year-old Coos Bay Marine whose family roots are in the Rogue Valley was the navigator on the KC-130 Hercules tanker that crashed in Pakistan Wednesday, killing all seven Marines aboard the plane. Lance Cpl. Bryan Bertrand was the grandson of Mary and Ken Amundson of Talent. Bryan's father, Bruce Bertrand, was an all-state basketball player for Medford High School in the 1960s and later played for Oregon State University. His picture still hangs on the Hall of Fame wall at JJ North's Grand Buffet on Riverside Avenue. "I talked to Bryan the day before Christmas when I was over at my son's house (in Coos Bay) and he was in good spirits," Mary Amundson said. "He said, 'I'm tired Grandma, but I have two days of R&R.' I said, 'Good, you need that.' " Bryan Bertrand recently received an award for his work navigating the refueling tankers on 130 missions in Afghanistan and Pakistan since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Centers. His squadron had been stationed in the Middle East since the attacks, but were based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, Calif. His grandmother describes him as an intelligent, gentle man who tried college, but decided it wasn't his forte. He followed in the footsteps of his best friend and joined the Marines in 1999, training in San Antonio for his specialized field. "He was in the top 5 percent of the group that took the navigation test," Amundson said. "Not all of them made it. He was a brilliant young man." A 1997 Marshfield High School graduate, Bryan Bertrand was a football standout. His father, a former Marshfield basketball coach, and his mother, Patty, live in Coos Bay. When Bryan Bertrand would visit his grandparents, he liked to take walks along Bear Creek. "He loved his work," Amundson said. "He had a chance to come home recently, but he thought he should stay longer to fulfill his obligation to serve our country." Bryan was a Christian, Amundson said, and she looks forward to a reunion with him in heaven someday. "We were all looking forward to him coming home, but I guess the Lord had something different in his plans for Bryan." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.