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Sgt. Christopher R. Hrbek
Sgt. Christopher R. Hrbek, 25, of Westwood, N.J., died Jan. 14 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Sgt. Hrbek comes from a family of firefighters; his step-father, Jaymee Hodges, is senior captain in the Westwood department and his two step brothers, Jim and Beau Hodges, are members of the New York City Fire Department. Hodges said his son, who had joined the Marines in 2002, was supposed to return home in May. He had planned to become a drill instructor in the Marines. “I was proud of him like you can’t imagine,” he said in a choked voice Friday morning. He was due to receive a bronze star with valor for saving the life of his sergeant major who stepped on an IED under enemy fire on Dec. 23. The man’s legs were immediately blown off and Hrbek acted quickly along with a Navy corps (medic) who was with him at the time. Together, they applied turnequets to stop the bleeding, removed him from enemy fire and got him to an airlift so that he could receive medical attention. The five star general recommended Hrbek and the medic for awards for saving the man’s life. “That was just so humbling,” recalled Hodges. “I told him, we are proud of you for doing the right thing. He didn’t think about it, he just did it. He loved being a Marine.” Mark Fedorchak, chief of the Westwood Volunteer Fire Department, recalled a young man so devoted to helping other people he joined the fire department as a 16-year-old. |
Marine Saluting Courtesy Sgt Michal S. Williams
“He joined as a cadet when he was a teenager and then worked his way up the ranks to firefighter. He was on military leave but still an active firefighter up until now,” he said. Joining the U.S. military was something he wanted to do, Fedorchak said. “He was passionate about it. He has two step brothers who are NYC firefighters so he took 911 to heart. He decided to make the Marines his career goal.” Like everyone in Westwood who knew the energetic 25-year-old, finding out about his death yesterday, he said, was a shock. “I’ve known Christopher since he was 8-years old. He was just an absolute wonderful person. He would give you the shirt off his back. That’s why he went into the Marines. That’s the type of person he was. This was what he wanted to do. He wanted to make a difference in the world. He was an incredible young man.” |
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