Army Staff Sgt. Christopher W. Swisher

Died October 9, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Lincoln, Neb.; assigned to 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, La.; killed Oct. 9 in Baghdad when his patrolling unit was ambushed by individuals using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

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Staff Sgt. Christopher Swisher's favorite place to shop was the Army surplus store. His mother said he admired the military so much, he dressed in camouflage clothing almost his entire senior year. He joined the Army a year after he graduated from high school in Lincoln, Neb., in 1995. "He tried really hard to get into the Army. That's what he wanted to do," she said. "He told me over and over again, 'Mom, remember I love you and remember if anything happens to me, I'm doing what I want to be doing — I'm protecting my family and my home.'" Swisher, 26, was killed Oct. 9 in Baghdad, Iraq, in what the military said was an ambush. He was stationed at Fort Polk, La. Swisher and his wife, Kristen, celebrated their second wedding anniversary Sept. 29.

— Associated Press