Army Spc. Christian J. Romig

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, La.

Spc. Romig was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Jan. 5, 2011 of wounds suffered in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert W. Pharris.

Army Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, was killed in Afghanistan with another soldier Wednesday when insurgents attacked their unit with an IED, or improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense reported Saturday.

The department said Romig and Sgt. 1st Class Robert Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Mo., died from wounds suffered in Nangarhar Province.

Christian Romig joined the Army in May 2008, enlisting for three years, said his sister, Gabrielle Romig. She said his family last saw him when he visited in August, and he planned to visit again at the end of this month.

He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), in Fort Campbell, Ky.

Sgt. 1st Class Pharris was assigned to the Missouri National Guard Agri-Business Development Team IV based in Jefferson City, Mo.

A 2005 Grace King High School graduate, Chris Romig had loved “everything Army” since he was little, his sister said.

She said he was on the wrestling team in high school, and his little brother Phillip was following in his footsteps. “He was really looking forward to seeing Phillip take state” championship honors, Gabrielle Romig said.

His sister said Romig always wanted to make people laugh.

“One time Chris answered the door for the pizza man in his wrestling singlet that was way too small,” she said. “He made sure to do stretches and lunges in front of the poor guy before taking the pizza and handing the guy the money that he had stored in the singlet, God only knows where.”

In Afghanistan, Spc. Romig was a cavalry scout and worked as a gunner on ground vehicles, she said.

When she last spoke to him on the phone, “he was very proud to serve the Army, but he was ready to come home for a visit,” she said.

Spc. Romig won an Army achievement medal in Korea last year and recently won a combat action badge after coming under enemy fire in Afghanistan, Gabrielle Romig said.

Gabrielle said her parents were not able to make any statements about their loss at this time.

FRANKFORT, Ky.– Gov. Steve Beshear today recognized the sacrifice of a Fort Campbell soldier who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

According to the Department of Defense, Spc. Christian J. Romig, 24, of Kenner, La. died Jan. 5 of wounds suffered at Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Spc. Christian J. Romig was killed in action on 1/05/11.