Cpl. Andrew F. Chris was born on Sept. 25, 1977, in Huntsville, Ala. He volunteered for Army service in San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2001. CPL Chris was killed in action on June 26, 2003 in Bahdad Iraq.

Cpl. Andrew F. Chris was born on Sept. 25, 1977, in Huntsville, Ala. He volunteered for Army service in San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2001.

Chris' grandfather fought in World War II, his uncle was a special operations soldier in the Army, his father belonged to an Army airborne division and his brother Derek served in the Navy. A native of Alabama, he had lived in California for years.

Chris completed basic training and advanced individual training in the military operational specialty of Infantryman at Fort Benning, Ga. He continued his military training at Fort Benning, when he attended the Basic Airborne Course and then the Ranger Indoctrination Program. On May 22, 2002, he was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He earned the Ranger Tab after graduating from the U.S. Army Ranger Course in 2003 at Fort Benning.

Chris was a rifleman, grenadier and machine gunner with Company B, 3rd Bn.

He was posthumously appointed to the rank of corporal and awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device, the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

His other awards and decorations include the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Shoulder Sleeve Insignia and the Ranger Tab. He earned the Combat Infantryman Badge in Afghanistan.

In support of the nation’s Global War on Terrorism, Chris deployed with his Ranger battalion and participated in combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.


From Military Times:

Army Ranger Andrew Chris called his brother on June 22 to let him know he was headed overseas.

He said, ‘This is the last time I’m going to call you from the States,’ Josh Chris recalled.


Andrew Chris died just a few days later. The Florence, Ala., native was killed along with another Ranger on June 25 when a vehicle packed with explosives on the side of a Baghdad road detonated.

"He went through some of the most rigorous training in the world just to be a Ranger," Josh Chris said. "But he loved it. He’d go on a 20-mile hike with a 60-pound pack and call me that night and be in a great mood."

Chris, who lived in San Diego, followed a long line of relatives into the military. Both of his grandfathers served in World War II, his father served in the Army, his uncle in Special Forces and his brother Derek in the Navy. Josh Chris said knowing that his brother died doing what he loved has made it easier to accept.


"He was spiritually and emotionally ready," Chris said.


"Dad, I did this for you." - Andrew Chris, at his father's gravesite before deploying

He is survived by his mother, Cheryl Ann Chris-Dawson of Baton Rouge, La., and his grandmother, Barbara Phillips of Huntsville, Ala. Two brothers, a stepbrother and a stepsister also survive him. His father, Thomas Anthony Chris, is deceased.

As a Ranger, Cpl. Andrew Chris distinguished himself as a member of the Army’s premier light-infantry unit, traveled to all corners of the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism, and fought valiantly to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Ranger Regiment.