CHRISTOPHER M. FALKEL
August 8, 2005
Name:
SSG Christopher J. Falkel
Hometown:
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
DOB:
September 29, 1982
DOP:
August 8, 2005
Entered Service:
October 25, 2001
Deployments:
Afghanistan, February 2004, and Afghanistan, June 2005, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
Units:
3rd Special Forces Group, 1st Batallion.
Education:
On 25 October, 2001, Chris enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA for his Basic Training and his Advanced Infantry Training. He graduated AIT in March, 2002. He then attended Airborne School at Ft. Benning, before being assigned to Ft. Bragg, NC where was a member of the fourth class of the Special Operations Preparatory Course. In June 2002, he completed Special Forces Assessment and Selection, and was assigned to the Special Forces Qualification Course and graduated 21 May, 2003. After finishing his Arabic Language course and SERE training, he was assigned to Operational Detachment –Alpha 316, Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a Weapons Sergeant (18B). He was promoted to Staff Sergeant (SSG) on 1 November, 2004. His schooling in Special Forces included Blackwater Combat Marksmanship Course, Gryphon Group Force Protection Course, Mid-South Self Defense Institute, SFARTAETC, and his favorite course, the one he was most proud of, Special Operations Target Interdiction Course.
Awards & Decorations:
His military awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Special Forces Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Survived By:
His parents, Jeffery and Dianne Falkel, and brother, Tim, of Highlands Ranch, Colo., survive him.
Honoree Bio:
Staff Sgt Christopher M. Falkel was born on September 24, 1982 in Massachusetts. He was a Special Forces weapons sergeant assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C. Falkel died during combat operations near Kandahar, Afghanistan Aug. 8, 2005, while he was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He joined the Army in October 2001 as an infantryman with his ultimate goal being a Special Forces Soldier. He attended Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training and Basic Airborne Training at Fort Benning, Ga. In May 2002, he moved to Fort Bragg, N.C., and was assigned to the 1st Special Warfare Training Group, where he began training to become a Special Forces weapons sergeant. Falkel attended the Special Forces Arabic Language Course and the Special Forces Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Course. He graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course in June 2003. Upon graduation, Falkel was assigned to the 3rd SFG (A), Fort Bragg, N. C. While there, he attended multiple tactical courses to include the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course, the Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance, Target Analysis and Exploitation Techniques Course. He deployed to Afghanistan in February 2004 and served there until July 2004. In June 2005, he deployed once again to Afghanistan with his team where he served until his death.
