Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
March 28, 2008 By Russ Bynum, Associated Press
Fort Stewart--Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake began his Army career in a ceremonial unit, serving as an escort during funerals at Arlington National Cemetery and marching in President Bush's 2001 inauguration parade.
But he wanted to do his part in Iraq. So Hake, of Enid, Okla., transferred in 2004 to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, deployed to Iraq in 2005 and returned for a second combat tour late last year.
"He told me, 'You couldn't pay me to come home early,' " said Peter Hake, the soldier's father. "He was a squad leader and loved his guys that worked under him. He said they would die for each other, and they did."
Hake, 26, and three Fort Stewart soldiers in his squad died Monday from wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded into their Bradley armored vehicle the day before.
The Army announced the four deaths Sunday, pushing the military's count of U.S. service members killed in Iraq to 4,000, and released their identities Thursday.
The military's count varies slightly from an independent tally kept by The Associated Press, which on Thursday counted 4,004 service members killed in Iraq.
Also killed in the explosion were Spc. Jose Rubio Hernandez, 24, of Mission, Texas; Pfc. Andrew Habsieger, 22, of Festus, Mo.; and Pvt. George Delgado, 21, of Palmdale, Calif.
The four men served in the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, which was among the first Army units to charge into Iraq during the March 2003 invasion.
The battalion is part of the 19,000-soldier 3rd Infantry, the first Army division to be tapped for a third tour of duty in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. William Mead served with all four men in the same platoon. He bonded with Hake during their previous deployment to Iraq. The others were serving their first tours.
"Four thousand lives is a tragic loss. But when you're close, the smaller number feels greater," said Mead, 37, of Whitehall, N.Y., who was sent back to Fort Stewart on March 4 because of a knee injury. "Each one of them, they all wanted to be there. Nobody likes it there, but we all kept our word and we went."
Their deaths came at a time of celebration on the Army post southwest of Savannah, where hundreds of troops from the division's 1st Brigade began arriving home this week from a 15-month deployment. The 4/64 Armor, however, was not scheduled to return until early 2009.
March 28, 2008 By Russ Bynum, Associated Press
Fort Stewart--Staff Sgt. Christopher Hake began his Army career in a ceremonial unit, serving as an escort during funerals at Arlington National Cemetery and marching in President Bush's 2001 inauguration parade.
But he wanted to do his part in Iraq. So Hake, of Enid, Okla., transferred in 2004 to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, deployed to Iraq in 2005 and returned for a second combat tour late last year.
"He told me, 'You couldn't pay me to come home early,' " said Peter Hake, the soldier's father. "He was a squad leader and loved his guys that worked under him. He said they would die for each other, and they did."
Hake, 26, and three Fort Stewart soldiers in his squad died Monday from wounds suffered when a roadside bomb exploded into their Bradley armored vehicle the day before.
The Army announced the four deaths Sunday, pushing the military's count of U.S. service members killed in Iraq to 4,000, and released their identities Thursday.
The military's count varies slightly from an independent tally kept by The Associated Press, which on Thursday counted 4,004 service members killed in Iraq.
Also killed in the explosion were Spc. Jose Rubio Hernandez, 24, of Mission, Texas; Pfc. Andrew Habsieger, 22, of Festus, Mo.; and Pvt. George Delgado, 21, of Palmdale, Calif.
The four men served in the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, which was among the first Army units to charge into Iraq during the March 2003 invasion.
The battalion is part of the 19,000-soldier 3rd Infantry, the first Army division to be tapped for a third tour of duty in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. William Mead served with all four men in the same platoon. He bonded with Hake during their previous deployment to Iraq. The others were serving their first tours.
"Four thousand lives is a tragic loss. But when you're close, the smaller number feels greater," said Mead, 37, of Whitehall, N.Y., who was sent back to Fort Stewart on March 4 because of a knee injury. "Each one of them, they all wanted to be there. Nobody likes it there, but we all kept our word and we went."
Their deaths came at a time of celebration on the Army post southwest of Savannah, where hundreds of troops from the division's 1st Brigade began arriving home this week from a 15-month deployment. The 4/64 Armor, however, was not scheduled to return until early 2009.