Staff Sergeant Christopher M. Falkel of Littleton, CO, was born on September 24, 1982. He died in the service of others during combat operations on August 8, 2005, in Deh Afghan, Afghanistan. Falkel was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
For his actions, Chris was posthumously awarded the silver star, the nation's third highest award for valor. The details of that 54-hour firefight and Chris's actions are captured in The Making of Our Warrior: How Chris Falkel Became a Green Beret Warrior and Hero as writtern by Chris's father, Jeff.
Chris was born in Boston, MA. He lived in Athens, Ohio from 1984 to 1990 and then moved to Littleton, CO. A 2001 graduate of Thunder Ridge High School, Chris enlisted in the Army on October 25, 2001. He was stationed at Fort Benning, GA, for his basic training and his Advanced Infantry Training (AIT). He graduated AIT in March, 2002. He went on to attend Airborne School at Fort Benning before being assigned to Fort Bragg, NC, where he was a member of the fourth class of the Special Operations Preparatory Course.
In June 2002, he completed the Special Forces Assessment and Selection course and assigned to the Special Forces Qualification Course. He graduated May 21, 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).
Christopher Falkel's best friend and childhood neighbor, Matthew Sahagun said that Chris was the epitome of a tough, principled soldier. "Chris was a warrior," Sahagun said Wednesday. "Since an early age he always had it in him. He was brave beyond belief and always by your side if you needed him." Sahagun said Falkel's other interests included snowboarding and driving fast in his 1993 Acura Integra. "The only thing that ticked me off about him — he was always better than me," Sahagun says, himself a Marine.
The Falkel Family has chosen to support Michael Reagan's Fallen Heroes Project through Dog Tag Brewing. Their mission is to honor American Fallen Heroes for their ultimate sacrifice during the war against terrorism. The foundation provides the resources to produce and distribute to each family a hand-drawn portrait of their Fallen Hero, created by artist Michael G. Reagan, free of charge. Each portrait intends to show the love and respect for these heroes and their families.
Never forgotten.
Here's to you Chris!
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Dog Tag Brewing Foundation is a combat Veteran-run nonprofit that partners with Gold Star Families to celebrate the lives of our nation's Fallen Warriors.
Interested in contributing to the Foundation's mission of supporting and enhancing Gold Star Family initiatives? Please take a moment and visit our Call to Action Page. Your support matters.
