Army Master Sgt. Kelly L. Hornbeck

Died January 18, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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36, of Fort Worth, Texas; assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, based at Fort Carson, Colo.; died of combat wounds Jan. 18 at 28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH), Iraq. Hornbeck sustained his injuries Jan. 16 when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle south of Samarra, Iraq. He was initially evacuated to the 21st CSH, and then moved to the 28th CSH for further treatment.

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While in South America fighting drug dealers for the U.S. military, Master Sgt. Kelly L. Hornbeck flew a Texas flag over his camp. When asked by a friend, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Callahan, why the banner was chosen, Hornbeck replied:

“When those guerrillas attack, I want them to know there’s a Texan here.”

Hornbeck, 36, was wounded Jan. 16 when an explosive device hit his vehicle near Samarraon. The soldier, who was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., died two days later.

Born in Selma, Ala., Hornbeck graduated high school in 1985 in Fort Worth, and left Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, after a year to join the military.

“Dad was a great friend,” one of Hornbeck’s daughters, 11-year-old Jacqueline McCall, said at her father’s funeral. “He died for his country and he was the best soldier because he was brave.”

He is also survived by his daughter Tyler Hornbeck, 7.

“When people ask me what was my favorite memory of my dad, I say I don’t know because I have so many,” Tyler wrote in a message read at her father’s memorial.

— Associated Press