The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed the death of a Georgia Tech graduate and former student government president.

On September 14, 1st Lt. Tyler Brown, 26, died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when enemy forces using small arms fire attacked his unit. According to the most recent information available, the incident is under military investigation.

Brown started at Tech in the summer of 1996 as a freshman and received bachelor's degrees in Management and History, Technology and Society in the fall of 2001. He was elected president of the Student Government Association for the1999-2000 academic year.

Dean of Students Gail DiSabatino said, "As student body president he was committed to inclusion. Tyler went to great lengths to include students who had never even thought of being involved in student government. As I talked with some older students and young alumni recently, they attributed their start in becoming involved on campus to Tyler.

"Tyler was an excellent leader," she added. "He cared greatly about Georgia Tech, his family and his country. These values will be his legacy. He made a difference in many people's lives, including mine."

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry, based at Camp Hovey in Tongduchon City, Korea.

Brown's family has deep ties with Georgia Tech. His father, Carey, is chairman of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, having graduated in 1969 with a degree in industrial engineering. He was also student body president. Tyler's brother, Brent, graduated from Tech in 1996.

A funeral service is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. He will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the scholarship fund set up in his honor at the Georgia Tech Foundation.