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14 August 2002
Soldier remembered for Courage, Humor, Faith
A
former medic with the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)
Special Forces Condolences Book
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Soldiers from
Headquarters U.S. Army Special Operations Command carry the body of
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher J. Speer from the Village Chapel in
Pinehurst, NC on
Tuesday
Six days before he received the wounds that killed him,
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher J. Speer walked into a minefield to rescue two
wounded Afghan children, according to fellow soldiers.
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He applied a tourniquet to one child and bandaged the other, they said.
Then he stopped a passing military truck to take the wounded children to a
U.S. Army field hospital.
Speer saved those children, his colleagues said.
That selfless act was among the memories of Speer celebrated on Tuesday
as Army soldiers, their families and friends filled the sanctuary of The
Village Chapel in Pinehurst for Speer's funeral.
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U.S. Army soldiers carry out a wounded soldier from a helicopter after landing on the tarmac of Bagram air base, Saturday in Afghanistan.
Speer, a Special Forces medic, suffered a head wound during a search of the Ab Khail village in Afghanistan on July 27. He was evacuated to Germany, where he died Aug. 6. He was 28 |
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On Tuesday, Speer was remembered as a capable and confident soldier
with an unflappable sense of humor. When the chips were down, friends
said, he could pick up his co-workers with a smile and a laugh.
They remembered him as a loving husband and father who had a sparkle in
his eyes whenever he talked about his family.
Survived by Wife, Tabitha, two
small children, Taryn and Tanner and brother Todd
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Chaplain Keith Jackson
escorts
Christopher Speer’s wife,
Tabitha, from the church.
Todd, his older brother and fellow soldier, said Christopher Speer was a "hero, not only for his professional conduct, but his family life. There's not more you can ask.
"I look up to him."
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Before deploying to Afghanistan, Speer wrote notes to his wife,
Tabitha, and their two small children, Taryn and Tanner, Jackson said.
"You are always on my mind and forever in my heart."
He wrote a note to his children on a card that had two whispering puppies on the cover, Jackson said. One puppy said to the other, "Do you want to know a secret?"
The card said, "I love you."
Speer then wrote, "It's no secret how much I love you. Take care of each other.
"Love Daddy"
He is one of at least five people from Fort Bragg or Pope Air Force Base to die in the war in Afghanistan.
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Members of the honor guard
stand in formation just before the funeral for
Sgt. First Class Christopher J. Speer.
Enlisting in the Army was always Speer's dream, his brother said. He
made it come true on July 8, 1992. His last assignment was to the
Headquarters U.S. Army Special Operations Command. His decorations include
the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. |
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**Information from SFAHQ.com, The Department of Defense,
Fayetteville Online and The
Associated Press used in this Article.
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