DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced Friday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Christopher A. Bartkiewicz, 25, of Dunfermline, Ill., died Sept. 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms fire.
The medic who treated Pfc. Christopher "Bart" Bartkiewicz, Eric "Doc" Williams wrote:
" Sept 30th I lost one of my best friends here due to sniper fire. I was the medic that treated his injurys (sic). Bart was a great man and a loving father and husband. He was one of our brothers and will be missed. I just wish you could have know him. Rest in peace brother."
Pfc. Christopher A. Bartkiewicz
According to PJStar.com, Carol Hubbard, Bartkiewicz' mother-in-law said, "He was a hero. He gave his life for country. What more can you ask for?"
Christopher's 26 year old wife, Emily, and their two daughters, McKayla, 6, and Morgan, 2, are returning home today from Baumholder, Germany where he was stationed with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
Married when he was 18 and Emily was 19, they would have celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary later this month. Prior to joining the Army, Christopher worked at a Morton factory and then at Coca Cola. He joined the Army, according to Hubbard, because he thought it would be a good way to support his family.
Hubbard told PJStar, "Being part of the Army was something he'd always wanted to do."
Hubbard says the Army has been wonderful to Emily and her daughters and while two year old Morgan does not understand what has happened, her six year old sister McKayla does.
Said Hubbard, "We know the hardest part is coming."
In memory of Pfc. Christopher "Bart" Bartkiewicz: Rest in peace.
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT) I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one.
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