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- The People Behind The Sacrifice
Army Pfc. Christopher F. Pfeifer
Died September 25, 2007 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom
21, of Spalding, Neb.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany; died Sept. 25 in San Antonio, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire Aug. 17 near Kamu, Afghanistan.
Soldier dies of injuries suffered in Afghanistan in August
The Associated Press
SPALDING, Neb. — There are flags at half-staff in Spalding to honor a 21-year-old soldier who died of wounds he suffered last month in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department said Christopher Pfeifer died Sept. 25 at a hospital in San Antonio. The young private first class was injured Aug. 17 when insurgents attacked his unit near Kamu.
He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based in Schweinfurt, Germany.
Spalding, population 502 in the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, is in east-central Nebraska’s Greeley County.
Pfeifer’s great-aunt, Darlene Pfeifer, said the soldier’s wife, Karen, delivered a baby daughter Sept. 27.
Jim Kleffner, a close family friend, said Christopher and his father had worked in Kleffner’s shop, People’s Service, for about 18 months. Christopher and Karen met when they were in the Job Corps in Chadron.
“He needed direction, and when he met Karen, he found the love of his life,” Kleffner said.
Pfeifer’s family was in Texas on Sept. 27, making arrangements for the body.
His great-aunt said that besides his wife and newborn daughter, Pfeifer is survived by his parents, Mike and Dar, an older brother and an older sister.
Mike Pfeifer told him that doctors had been optimistic about Christopher’s chances, Kleffner said, then he took a bad turn.
“All the flags are at half-mast in Spalding right now,” Kleffner said. “It’s a really sad day, a sad week.”
Hundreds pack church for Spalding soldier’s funeral
The Associated Press
SPALDING, Neb. — A slain Spalding soldier was remembered as a caring husband and father-to-be at funeral services Oct. 10.
About 500 people packed a Spalding church to remember Pfc. Christopher Pfeifer, 21, who died Sept. 25 of injuries he suffered while serving with the Army in Afghanistan.
“He’s a big loss, not only in my heart, but for the Army and the world in general,” said Pfc. Michael Delsarto, who served with Pfeifer. “He stood for good things.”
Pfeifer was shot by a sniper in the shoulder Aug. 17, and was later taken to Germany and then to San Antonio, where he died.
His wife, Karen, gave birth to their daughter, Peyton, two days later in San Antonio.
One fellow soldier said Pfeifer’s legacy would live on in the daughter he never got to see.
“I know Peyton might not know Chris physically,” said Staff Sgt. Ryan Jones, who also served in Pfeifer’s unit. “But she will know him spiritually, and he’ll be in her life forever.”
Pfeifer was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which is based in Schweinfurt, Germany.