Ret. Lt Col Brian Birdwell

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Birdwell is a native Texan, decorated military veteran and lifelong conservative Republican proudly representing Texas Senate District 22. Born in Fort Worth, TX, Brian is a graduate of Lamar University in Beaumont, TX, the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he earned a Master of Public Administration degree.

As the Distinguished Military Graduate of the Lamar University Army ROTC program in 1984, Brian was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and served a 20-year career with numerous training deployments and two operations deployments. In 1990, he deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm where he was awarded the Bronze Star for Exceptional Meritorious Service. As part of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) Battle Group he participated in earning the regiment the Valorous Unit Award for the ACRs actions at the Battle of the 73rd Easting. In 1998, he deployed to Central America as the Joint Operation Officer for Joint Task Force Aguila to execute humanitarian relief operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. In 2001, Brian was serving on the Department of the Army Staff at the Pentagon as the military aide to the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.

On September 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed just yards away from his second floor Pentagon office, Brian was critically wounded and severely burned. Of the burns that covered more than 60 percent of his body, nearly half were third degree in severity. Today, following 39 operations, months of hospitalization and numerous skins grafts, Brian has made a miraculous recovery. Despite physical limitations, he testifies not only to his physical healing, but the ultimate miracle of grace through Christ. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received that day. Upon retirement from the U.S. Army in July 2004, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

From 2004-2017, Brian and his wife, Mel, operated Face the Fire Ministries, a non-profit organization they jointly founded to support critical burn survivors and wounded servicemen and women and their families. In 2004, the Birdwell's jointly authored Refined by Fire: A Family's triumph of Love and Faith, which chronicles their life changing ordeal. Through the years, Brian has been profiled in numerous national and regional media outlets.

In 2010 hearing the Lord's call upon him for public service, Brian ran for office and was first elected to the Texas State Senate in a June 2010 special election and has since been re-elected by his constituents four times. In his five legislative sessions, Brian has consistently received critical acclaim and high ratings from numerous pro -life, pro -business, pro-2nd Amendment and other conservative organizations.

Brian currently serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development and is a member of the Senate Committees on; Finance, State Affairs, and Redistricting. Since 2013, Brian has served as Chair of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz's 22 member U.S. Service Academy Nomination Board.

The Birdwells have been married for more than 30 years and reside in Granbury. They have one son, Matt, a graduate of Texas Tech who is married to their daughter in law, Ann Marie. Matt and Ann Marie reside in Tarrant County with the Birdwells two grandchildren, Elijah 3, and Lily 1.