Army Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski, 28, of Rantoul, Ill.

Sgt. Rudzinski was assigned to 293rd Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Oct. 16, 2009 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED.

RANTOUL – From grade school on, Army Sgt. Christopher Rudzinski was ready to serve, say those who knew him in Rantoul.

Sgt. Rudzinski, 28, died Friday from injuries sustained when a bomb detonated near his vehicle near Kandahar, Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. He had been assigned to a military police brigade based in Fort Stewart, Ga.

Sgt. Rudzinski attended St. Malachy School in Rantoul for one year, graduating in 1995. He graduated from Rantoul Township High School in 1999.

Sister Sara Koch of St. Malachy remembers him as "very reserved" and someone who liked to serve.

"He was a responsible young man and was always there to help," she said. "He certainly was involved and was always ready to serve, so it didn't surprise me to hear he had entered the military."

His eighth-grade teacher, Bob Robertson, remembers when Sgt. Rudzinski returned to speak to St. Malachy students several years later in full dress uniform.

"He was just busting with pride that he was able to serve our country," Robertson said.

"The kids really enjoyed it. He had all his medals and everything on. The kids were eager (to hear him speak)."

Violet LaPine, technical library assistant at the Rantoul Public Library, said Sgt. Rudzinski worked for several years as a library page.

Library staff gave him a going-away party when he graduated from high school, and Lapine remembers him saying that he planned to join the Army and be involved with tanks. Photos show him holding a book on tanks that the staff had given him and a cake with a tank drawing.

LaPine remembers him as "definitely adventurous."

"I think being in the military is probably where he really wanted to be," LaPine said. "He just seemed like the kind of guy who was ready for bigger action than the library."

At the library, he worked with Rob Bross, who was a year younger.

Bross said the two met while participating in an RTHS musical event.

"He was a great guy," Bross said. "He always had a joke to tell. He knew from the start he was going into the military. I remember my senior year he came back from a (military) recruitment trip. He was enjoying himself."

Bross said he saw Sgt. Rudzinski about a year and a half ago, and he said how much he enjoyed being in the Army.

"I'm going to miss a good friend and a real good soldier," Bross said.

The Rev. Jeff Laible, who was at St. Malachy parish for 10 years ending in 2007, knew the Rudzinski family, who attend the church.

Laible, an Air Force chaplain who has served several stints overseas, said Sgt. Rudzinski "paid the highest price. I stand in awe of his service to our nation. He was a good soldier, faithful as to what was required of him. To me, it speaks volumes."

Sgt. Rudzinski was serving his fourth tour of duty in an area of conflict. He served one tour in Kosovo and two in Iraq. His father, Michael, is a 2003 veteran of the Iraq war. His grandfather was also a military veteran.

Friday's tragedy is the latest to hit the Rudzinski family. Sgt. Rudzinski lost his mother, Bonita, to cancer in 1993, and a sister, Jacqui, in a fall from a Florida nightclub balcony in 2005. The Rudzinskis have another son, Jordan, who is also in the Army and is scheduled to deploy next year.

Sgt. Rudzinski and his wife, Caroline, have a 1-year-old son, Ryan.

Funeral services for Sgt. Rudzinski are pending. His father said tentative plans call for visitation on Sunday, Oct. 25, and the funeral service Monday. Lux Memorial Chapel, Rantoul, is in charge of local arrangements.

RANTOUL – Michael Rudzinski, a military "brat" himself, didn't always know his son wanted to be the third generation to join the military.

Sgt. Christopher Rudzinski, 28, who was killed Friday in Afghanistan, decided early that he would join the military, his father said.

"He enlisted as an M1 Abrams crewman and served in that capacity during deployments to Kosovo and his first deployment to Iraq in 2003," Michael said. It was during that deployment that Michael Rudzinski was deployed to Kuwait.

"I didn't realize (Christopher wanted to go into the military) until he joined," Michael Rudzinski said. "He didn't even tell me ... until about the end of his junior year. He thought I'd be disappointed if he joined the military instead of going to college."

Christopher Rudzinski later joined the military police.

Michael Rudzinski said his son planned to make a career of the military, serving at least 20 years.

Michael Rudzinski said his son's sense of humor always comes to mind. "He took that with him in the Army," he said.

He said his son would secretly sew "FOBIT" patches on other service members' uniforms where their Ranger patches were normally located. "FOBIT" is a derogatory term for military personnel who never come off base but still get hazardous-duty pay.

His father said he "always wondered if I lost my son what I would do. I am not angry at the military. We all know the risks. We had our fears, but we faced them. Chris served because he wanted to help."

He said a good indication of the heart his son had for others is shown by his wanting to set up a care package program for Afghan children. He and his father had been preparing to start that program.

Michael said a tribute was paid to his son on Monday morning's edition of "Good Morning America." He said Chris Cuomo of that program had visited with Sgt. Rudzinski's unit in Afghanistan last week and paid tribute to him when he learned of his death. The tribute is on the show's Web site, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/.

Army Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski was killed in action on 10/16/09.