Army Spc. Christopher B. Fishbeck

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Christopher B. Fishbeck, 24, of Victorville, Calif.

Spc Fishbeck was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with indirect fire June 6, 2011 in Baghdad. Also killed were Army Spc. Emilio J. Campo Jr., Army Spc. Michael B. Cook Jr., Army Spc. Robert P. Hartwick and Army Pfc. Michael C. Olivieri.

Fishbeck described himself this way on his MySpace page:
I’m a simple man with big dreams. I dream to become an Astronaut and orbit the earth. I dream to run in the Olympics. I dream to become an American Hero. I dream to change the world. I dream to impact society. I dare humanity to evolve… I dream to make the impossible possible.

Spc Fishbeck graduated from Kennedy High School in La Palma in 2005 where he was a wrestler and football player.

He joined the Army in October 2009 and served as a field artillery tactical data systems operator. (Safe, accurate, and lethal delivery of the field artillery's various fire support systems used to support infantry and tank units in combat. Skills training included methods of computing target locations using computers or manual calculations, ammunition handling techniques, and operating and performing maintenance on related equipment, vehicles, generators, and artillery tactical and data systems).

Mother, Toni Kay, said, "He decided he wanted to serve his country," Kay said. "I supported him. He was intent on being the best. When he got his medal for being a sharpshooter, he was upset with not getting 'expert.'"

"He had a fascination and a love for physics and astronomy," Kay said. "Every chance we got, we went to the bookstore and brought home tomes on physics."

“I saw Christopher two weeks ago,”said mother, Toni. “He was home on leave and he took me aside and he told me that there was a 90 percent chance that he would not make it our of Iraq alive because there was increasing fire coming onto the base where he was stationed. I was somewhat mentally prepared, but I think any mother that sends a son off to war, you have to make peace with that possibility that he may lose his life.”

"...we family members and friends are inconsolable,” said Kay. “It is my prayer as a mother that if peace ever finds Iraq, then those inconsolable tears will be replaced with the knowledge that my son had a hand in making the world a place of peace.”

Spc Fishbeck was honored today, June 17, in a Hero Mission at the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base. A Hero Mission is a ceremony honoring a fallen soldier as his or her coffin arrives home. With permission from the family, Hero Missions are open to the public to give the community an opportunity to pay their respects to the men and women who sacrifice their lives for the country.

Memorial service is Monday, June 20, at St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in Cypress. Burial at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Spc Fishbeck is survived by his mother, Toni; father, Gary; wife of three months, Stephanie; and his sisters, Rene and Randi.

Army Spc. Christopher B. Fishbeck was killed in action on 6/6/11.