Army, Private 1st Class
Based: Ft. Bragg, N.C. 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: October 30, 2009
Karadah (southeast of), Iraq
Single Gender: Male
Hometown: Merced
High School: Golden Valley High (Merced)
From the LA Times:
Don't miss the entire LA Times article about Army Private First Class Lukas C. Hopper here and read more from his Merced hometown paper here.Though he was raised Mormon, Hopper liked to attend the Jewish services on base because at the end of the service, everyone danced and ate doughnuts and bagels, he told his pals.
"He never conformed to what society or anyone around him wanted him to do, be, or say. He did what he thought was best for him, his family and his friends, whether it was a popular decision or not," said Kevin Pope, a family friend.
"The saddest part of his death is that he was truly coming into his own as an adult. . . . He definitely had a sense of purpose and a sense of direction that he might not have had prior to joining the military, and it was great to see him doing things that he loved."
Hopper, a specialist assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C., died less than two weeks before he was scheduled to return from Iraq.
He had planned to transfer to another brigade to fight in Afghanistan and was interested in going through Ranger school.
The last time he saw Hopper, Alcorn said, his friend was becoming more serious about his future.
"He wanted to go to school after the Army," Alcorn said. "He wanted a family, wanted to grow old together and live simply."
Go here now for a tribute to Lukas Hopper from his friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment