Friday, May 21, 2004

Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy R. Horton

Remember Our Heroes

Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy R. Horton, 24, of Erie, Pa.

SSgt Horton was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; killed May 21, 2004 by an improvised explosive device near Iskandariyah, Iraq.

Pennsylvania soldier killed in Iraq
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — A soldier from Erie, Penn., whose tour was extended last year, was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb, according to his family.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy R. Horton, 24, died Friday near Iskandariyah, Iraq. Defense officials did not release further details, but relatives said Horton apparently was killed when his convoy was stopped for another roadside bomb.

Horton reportedly stepped from his vehicle and a second bomb went off, killing him and wounding three other soldiers, said his uncle, Rich Wittenburg, 54, of Erie. Horton died from shrapnel in his head, Wittenburg said.

Horton joined the Army right out of high school, hoping to get money for college, but ended up finding his place in the military. He was a member of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Baumholder, Germany.

“He certainly loved his family and loved his country and loved being in the military. It was what he wanted to do. We need more like him,” Wittenburg said.

Horton played both the saxophone and drums in high school and played in bands where he was stationed, his uncle said.

Horton is survived by his wife, Christie, whom he married shortly after joining the Army.

Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy R. Horton was killed in action on 5/21/04.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

We never had the honor of meeting Jeremy since he was already deployed before we pcsed to Strassburg Kasserne, but he and Christie were our next door neighbors. She and Jenn were our first friends in Germany. I remember her screams when they knocked on her door and gave her the bad news, and the look on the faces of the officers when I almost ran them over thinking someone was hurting her. She was a sweet and kind person and completely committed to Jeremy. I think of the pain she endured and her loss of a husband at such a young age often. If the attendance and the sorrow I saw expressed at his memorial service were an indication of his life, I can say he was a well respected soldier and a good man. I truely hope that he and Christie find the peace they so well deserve.