Brud Joseph Cronkrite, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Brud J. Cronkrite, 22

Army, Sergeant
Based: Friedberg, Germany
1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division
Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Died: May 14, 2004
Baghdad (military hospital), Iraq
Single
Gender: Male
Hometown: Spring Valley
High School: Mountain Empire High (Pine Valley)
Burial: Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego

From the Iraq Page:

Thursday, May 27 2004 @ 07:55 AM MDT
Contributed by: tomw
Views: 1,827
Associated Press -- PINE VALLEY -- Teachers at Mount Empire High School recalled Brud Cronkrite as a thoughtful and intelligent student who was reluctant to tout his own accomplishments.

Gary Priester, who was the assistant wrestling coach when Cronkrite was on the team, said Wednesday he was glad to hear that the young man from Potrero, in southeastern San Diego County, had been promoted to the rank of sergeant shortly before he was killed last week.
"He didn't blow his own horn when he was doing good. He was always supportive of other kids, but he didn't always get the credit he deserved," Priester said.

Cronkrite, a 22-year-old Army tank crewman, died on May 14 in Baghdad from injuries sustained a day earlier in Karbala, Iraq, in a rocket-propelled grenade attack.

Cronkrite graduated in 1999 from Mountain Empire High, a school of about 450 students, where he also had been a member of Future Farmers of America.

"He was totally a great kid," said FFA adviser Kelly Tulloch, who last saw Cronkrite when he was home on leave in March. "He never gave me an ounce of trouble, ever. If I needed something, I could count on him."

She recalled a time when one FFA student officer suddenly dropped out of an upcoming competition, Cronkrite skillfully stepped into the role, memorizing a presentation.

"He was willing to learn the part and go with us at the last minute," she said. "He did a good job, as good as the other kids who had been practicing for three weeks."

Cronkrite joined the Army in March 2001 and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor, 1st Armored Division, in Friedberg, Germany.


He served in Iraq for one year. The family had expected his tour to end on May 1, but it was extended by three months.


His parents, William and Wendy Cronkrite, live in Portrero and a younger brother is a student at Mountain Empire.

Find memories and messages about Army Sergeant Brud Joseph Cronkrite at Fallen Heroes.

The entrance to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, Point Loma, San Diego, CA.