Sgt Christopher Hrbek, USMC... Rest in Peace

[thedrifter]

A Good Friend of Ours, Marine, Fellow Worker was killed yesterday in Afghanistan

The Final Roll Call

We thought of you with love today
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday
And days before that too.

We think of you in silence
We often speak your name.

Now all we have are memories
And your picture in a frame.

Your memory is our keepsake
With which we'll never part

God has you in His keeping
We have you in our Heart.

Love You and Miss You!

RIP>>>

Ellie and Mark


http://www.spankys-sports-bar.com/hrbek.html

[Hamelink83]

RIP Brother.

[GSEMarine94]

RIP brother, you shall not be forgotten.

[thedrifter]

http://fontman.smugmug.com/Other/PIX-FROM-DIRTY-SQUIRRELS-BON/DSC5205/358704573_MsXoD-L.jpg

http://fontman.smugmug.com/Other/PIX-FROM-DIRTY-SQUIRRELS-BON/DSC5210/358706194_jBoET-M.jpg

Ellie

[Rocky C]

Sorry for your loss Ellie and Mark.

RIP Brother Chris.

Semper Fi Marine,
Rocky

[ameriken]

Thanks for the photo tribute Ellie, I'm sorry to hear the news.

Semper Fi Sgt Hrbek :iwo:

[doc h fmf]

I sorry my godbless christopher family and my he rest in peace

[SGT7477]

RIP Brother, Semper Fidelis.

[charm1110]

RIP Brother

Semper Fi...:flag:

[jetdawgg]

RIP Brother

Semper Fi:usmc:

[NCOPOWER]

The Corps will live forever that means YOU live forever. RIP brother.

[RLE0352]

RIP Brother

Semper Fi :flag:

[thedrifter]

DoD identifies Lejeune casualty
Comments 4 | Recommend 0
January 15, 2010 2:53 PM

Updated at 3:45 p.m.

Hrbek was a field artillery cannoneer assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, II Marine Expeditionary Brigade, according to a press release from 2nd Marine Division. Hrbek joined the Marine Corps in January 2003 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant on Dec. 1, 2008.

He deployed to the Central Command theater with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2005, and in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in February to September 2007 and August 2008 to March 2009, according to the release. He deployed to Afghanistan is support of Operation Enduring Freedom in November 2009.

His personal decorations include two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, and a number of campaign and service decorations.



The Department of Defense has identified a Camp Lejeune Marine casualty.

Sgt. Christopher R. Hrbek, 25, of Westwood, N.J., died Thursday while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. Hrbek was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.

Love You Chris!

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine awaiting Bronze Star killed by IED
Staff report
Posted : Friday Jan 15, 2010 16:24:30 EST

A North Carolina-based Marine in line to receive a medal for valor died in Afghanistan on Thursday, according to the Defense Department and media reports.

Sgt. Christopher R. Hrbek, 25, a field artillery cannoneer with 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, was killed in Helmand province, according to the Defense Department.

The New Jersey Bergen County Record reports that Hrbek was killed when he stepped on an improvised explosive device.

The Westwood, N.J., native was going to be awarded a Bronze Star with combat “V” for saving the life of his sergeant major, who stepped on an IED under enemy fire Dec. 23, the paper reported.

“I told him, we are proud of you for doing the right thing,” Hrbek’s step-father, Jaymee Hodges, told The Record. “He didn’t think about it, he just did it. He loved being a Marine.”

Hrbek was a local firefighter who joined the Corps in January 2003 in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. His two step-brothers are New York City firefighters, according to The Record.

He served two tours in Iraq between September 2007 and March 2009, according to a II Marine Expeditionary Force release.

He planned to become a drill instructor when he returned from deployment this spring, his step-father said.

Ellie


How Chris will tell You Shots All Around!!!!!!!!

Ellie

[Phantom Blooper]

RIP MARINE!:flag:

Semper-Fi!


http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/011510_Westwood_firefighter_marine_killed_in_Afgha nistan.html

[Troutzilla]

RIP BROTHER

SEMPER FI
:flag:

[Phantom Blooper]

Fallen Marine to receive Bronze Star

January 16, 2010 4:50 PM
A Camp Lejeune Marine that died Thursday in Afghanistan was in line to receive a medal of valor, according to media reports.

Sgt. Christopher R. Hrbek, 25, was killed when he stepped on an improvised explosive device, according to reports by The New Jersey Bergen County Record.

Hrbek was to be awarded a Bronze Star with combat “V” for saving his sergeant major’s life when he stepped on an IED under enemy fire Dec. 23, the paper reported.

[jerryk]

sorry to hear that mark and ellie.rest in peace my brother marine

[SgtHendon]

I was lucky enough to meet Chris a few years ago. He's a good friend of a couple of my buddies in Jacksonville.

Heaven has another HERO at the gate...

Rest in peace, brother...

[Gunner 0313]

:flag:R.I.P. Brother !

Semper Fidelis

[rb1651]

RIP Brother. Prayers are outbound for family members and friends of Sgt. Hrbek.

[thedrifter]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/01/21/2010-01-21_a_war_hero_comes_home_nj_marine_slain_in_4th_to ur_gave_from_the_heart.html?print=1&page=all


Great Article above...

A few of Our friends are taking the journey for us to pay there last Respect to Chris...

His Fellow Brothers will be sleeping along side of Chris this evening....

Chris has made an impact on All of us.. We are Glad to meet a Outstanding Marine and Friend....

Ellie and Mark

PJ and Rich His Marine Brother's

http://fontman.smugmug.com/Events/PIX-FROM-THE-FAREWELL-PARTY/DSC2928/282139245_m3KyF-M.jpg


http://fontman.smugmug.com/Events/PIX-FROM-THE-FAREWELL-PARTY/DSC2931/282140205_MMheh-M.jpg

Trying to give Chris advice...since I was his second mom here...
Hell that never worked....That's why he got the nickname Dirty Squirrel...LOL

http://fontman.smugmug.com/Events/PIX-FROM-THE-FAREWELL-PARTY/DSC2922/282137584_w3Fwe-M.jpg

[thedrifter]

Marines carry remains of Sgt. Christopher Hrbek at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Below, Sgt. Hrbek at Fleet Week.

[thedrifter]

Marine Sergeant Christopher Hrbek Comes Home

The remains of Marine Sergeant Christopher Hrbek arrive in his hometown of Westwood, NJ and are met by hundreds of firefighters from all over the tri-state area and Bergen County residents

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFGRIBtf440

Love You

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Another view...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDy0Xrbmkos

Ellie

[Juicemang]

RIP brother. I will see you at the gates. :flag:

[Gunner 0313]

By MIKE KELLY
RECORD COLUMNIST

With the mournful hum of dozens of bagpipes, the gentle flapping of hundreds of flags and the indelible silence of thousands of residents lining its streets, Westwood welcomed home a local boy Thursday who gave his life in a faraway war.

Marine Sgt. Christopher Hrbek, 25, was killed a week ago in the hills of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province after stepping on a booby-trapped bomb.

His wake is scheduled for Friday afternoon at the Zion Lutheran Church, and his funeral will be held on Saturday at the church. But in the fading afternoon sunlight on Thursday, Westwood honored Hrbek with a solemn procession.

Funerals are not just moments of sadness. For some towns, they are moments of proud unity, too. In Westwood on Thursday, that mix of unmitigated sadness and unity were on full display.[/font]

Hrbek deployed with his Marine unit to Afghanistan in November. Before that, he served three combat tours with the Marines in Iraq.

A giant American flag hung between ladder trucks from the Emerson and Woodcliff Lake fire departments.

And only weeks earlier in Afghanistan, he dashed through enemy gunfire to save the life of another Marine who had stepped on a similar bomb – an act for which the Marines had nominated Hrbek for a Bronze Star medal for valor.

But on Thursday, the Central Bergen County town that Hrbek called home before enlisting in the Marines came to a standstill.

“You hear about this kind of thing everyday in the news, but it doesn’t really touch home until it’s someone from home,” said Brian Schumeyer, 32 of Emerson, who grew up in Westwood and took the day off work.

With a color guard of Westwood firefighters marching in front and followed by five Marines from his former unit who had driven all night from North Carolina, a hearse bearing Hrbek’s flag-draped coffin rolled slowly past his high school and elementary school – and hundreds of students lining the sidewalk and holding small flags.

“What an extraordinary day,” said Hrbek’s father, Richard, who rode in the procession. “He knew so many people, but the thing that struck me was all the young children.”

Some people clapped softly. Others dabbed their eyes with tissues. Many just placed their right hand over their heart and silently mouthed “thank you” to Hrbek’s wife, Jamie Lynn Wengerter, and other relatives riding in a convoy of SUVs and cars.

There were senior citizens and young men in camouflage National Guard uniforms. There were painters who laid down their brushes and hair stylists who set aside their scissors, joggers in bright jackets and business women in long wool coats.

Police estimated the overall crowd at more than 5,000.

“Our family loved Chris very much,” said Hrbek’s mother-in-law, Ramona Wengerter of Emerson. “The whole community is turning out. It’s very honorable. The Marines are very honorable. The police and firemen are very proud of him. It’s wonderful how they are welcoming him home.”

Indeed, among many firefighters, Hrbek was seen as something of a younger brother, in part because he joined Westwood’s volunteer department when he was only 16.

Hrbek’s stepfather, Jaymee Hodges, is still senior captain of Westwood’s department. Hrbek’s two stepbrothers, Jim and Beau Hodges, are New York City firefighters. “It’s a close knit department,” said retired Westwood firefighter Nick Ariemma. “The fire department is like a piece of the heart of the town.”

Several of Hrbek’s fellow Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, echoed similar feelings.

“Once you’re together, it’s like a family,” said Marine Staff Sgt. Jose Galvan, who served with Hrbek in Iraq. “He was always looking out for his brother Marines.”

With pipers striking up a rendition of the Marine Corps hymn at the town’s center, the procession passed under a giant American flag that hung between ladder trucks from the Emerson and Woodcliff Lake fire departments. Then, the marchers turned on to Westwood’s main business district, where fire fighters from dozens of neighboring towns and New York City stood shoulder-to-shoulder, each one holding an American flag.

[echo3oscar1833]

Rest In Peace Brother, Semper Fidelis!

[Lisa 23]

Rest in Peace Marine, Semper Fidelis!

[vfm]

Rest in Peace Brother.
Semper Fi!!!
vfm

[Sgt Jim]

Rest In Peace Brother

[rocktroll0811]

Sgt. Hrbek was a friend of mine. We deployed together 3 times. Twice in different units. He did get his Bronze Star. He will be sorely missed by many. I will never forget him. Semper Fi.

Rest in Peace Brother.

[Nick Valdez]

I observed the funeral on TV. It was a fitting tribute to a fallen Marine. Even the Record newpaper which is considered very liberal wrote a very moving editorial.

[Vandrel]

RIP

A fine example of a Marine and a NCO