R.I.P. Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski

Name: Army Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski

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Age: 28

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From: Rantoul, Ill.

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Assigned to 293rd Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), Fort Stewart, Ga.

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Incident: Army Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski died Oct. 16 near Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED.

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Died: October 16, 2009


(Taken from www.chicagobreakingnews.com) An Army sergeant who was a native of Downstate Rantoul died Friday after he was wounded in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense said today.

Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski, 28, died near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. Rudzinski was assigned to a military police brigade based in Fort Stewart, Ga.

Three other soldiers were killed in the bombing, according to the Associated Press.

Rudzinski's death was the latest blow to his family, who dealt with the loss of his mother, Bonita, from cancer in 1993 and a tragic fall from a Florida nightclub balcony that killed his sister Jacqui in 2005, said Bill Scott, a neighbor of Rudzinski's father, Michael, in Rantoul.

"It's a story of loss of biblical proportions," Scott said.

Michael Rudzinski couldn't be reached for comment Sunday, but the veteran of the Iraq war in 2003 spoke about his son to the conservative magazine National Review in 2005 for a piece about fathers and sons serving in the military.

"I believe Chris joined because he loved his country and he loved his family and he wanted to do something for both," Michael Rudzinski told the magazine. "I'd like to think that my dad and I were an inspiration to Chris. After all, my dad was the inspiration for me to join."

Christopher Rudzinski, a 1999 graduate of Rantoul Township High School, is remembered as a well-liked member of the school band, who participated in school musicals.

"He made people laugh all the time. He was very fun, very positive," said Rudzinski's high school friend, Angela Erickson. "If you were down, he'd go out of his way just to make you smile," she said.

These attributes were on full display when his younger sister and Erickson's best friend Jacqui died.

"I hadn't talked to him in years and then I saw him at the funeral and the first thing he did was hug me and say 'Hey, it's going to be all right.' That's something that I won't forget ever," Erickson said.

"He was a very normal, happy-go-lucky kid. (He) didn't view life too seriously and enjoyed people," Scott added.

Scott said that while Michael Rudzinski is devastated by his son's death, he is inspired the help his daughter-in-law, Caroline, who his son met in Germany and the couple's infant son, Ryan.

"On one hand he's in complete and utter shock, but on the other hand he's got a strong desire to provide and protect for his grandson and his daughter-in-law," Scott said.

The sorrow is felt throughout the small town Rantoul, which served as a home for airmen for nearly 70 years at the now-shuttered Chanute Air Force Base. Rudzinski is the first Rantoul resident killed in action in Afghanistan, Mayor Neal Williams said.

"It really makes you think about family. I think it brings the community closer together. It's saddening and ... this is a former military community," Williams said.

Rudzinski's body will be escorted by local police and fire vehicles along a route lined by miniature American flags, the mayor added.

In addition to his father and stepmother, Rudzinski is survived by his wife, Caroline Rudzinski Gilch; his son, Ryan; his older sister, Annette; his stepmother, Natalie; two stepbrothers; and a younger brother.