Tulsa World: Enid soldier among Iraq victims

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Enid soldier among Iraq victims

KILLED

Staff Sgt. Chris Hake: He was killed in a Baghdad roadside bombing.

By MATT BARNARD World Staff Writer
Published: 3/25/2008 12:45 AM
Last Modified: 3/25/2008 12:45 AM

He is described as a patriotic man who loved his job and his family.

ENID -- An Enid soldier killed in Iraq on Sunday was a patriotic man who loved spending time with his family, his father said Monday.

Army Staff Sgt. Chris Hake, 26, was on patrol in southern Baghdad when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb, killing him and three other soldiers, and injuring another.

"I've just never seen someone love their job so much," said Hake's father, Peter Hake. "He was really proud of his accomplishments."

Hake was on his second deployment in Iraq when he died, and had been there since October 2007, Peter Hake said.

The Department of Defense as of Monday night had not officially confirmed Hake's death.

Sunday's bombing brought the U.S. death toll in Iraq to 4,000, according to military reports. Another bombing took place on Saturday in which three more soldiers were killed.

Hake, a member of the 3rd Infantry Division, grew up in Enid and graduated from the Oklahoma Bible Academy in 2000.

He lived in Hinesville, Ga., with his wife, Kelli, and 1-year-old son, Gage, Peter Hake said.

Funeral services will be held at the Oklahoma Bible Academy in Enid. Family members have not set a time or date for the ceremony, Peter Hake said.

Hake volunteered for duty in Iraq after enlisting when he graduated

from high school. He led a group of about eight soldiers as a squad leader, Peter Hake said, and developed a strong bond with his fellow soldiers.

"He knew that they would die for him and he would do the same also," Peter Hake said. "Sometimes I wondered if the Army was before his wife. I would say no, but it ran a close second."

Hake and his wife were married for nearly three years, and they spoke to or e-mailed each other every day, Peter Hake said. The two were married in Fort Stewart, Ga., and spent much of their time renovating their home and raising their son.

Signing up for a second tour was a difficult choice, but providing for his family was important to him, his father said.

"It literally tore his heart out to walk out on that boy," Peter Hake said. "It made him wish he could be done with the war."

Hake's tour was scheduled to end in January 2009.

His death marked the 65th soldier with Oklahoma ties killed in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count.

As a child in Enid, Hake was an energetic, fun-loving student who played baseball and basketball throughout his teens, his father said.

Mark Shuck, the principal at Oklahoma Bible Academy, said the news of Hake's death hit hard at the small Christian school in Enid.

"It was definitely a shock today to hear it," Shuck said. "It obviously is a face to a war that some people haven't had a face to put with it."

Shuck remembered Hake as a quiet, caring student who developed a close bond with his classmates.

"He was quietly compassionate. He generally cared for people," Shuck said. "I don't know that he was ever out to draw attention to himself."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Matt Barnard 581-8408
matt.barnard@tulsaworld.com

By MATT BARNARD World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Chicago, (3/25/2008 1:46:21 PM) Lord Have Mercy! May His Memory Be Eternal! 4000 Young Men and Women have died over there and for WHAT!! and WHY?? I don't get it... gay remarks from an idiot, sports, art, food, religion get notice more these days than these blue eyes. The media has conditioned us to be complacent on the most important value of this country...Patriotism , loyalty, and unity. We have become a "it's not my buisness, I don't care"society of overly medicated idiots.
	Report Comment Seymour Hicks, Beggs (3/26/2008 12:14:45 AM) I sure hope that they find those WMD soon so that they can all come home, keep looking guys, Dubya swears that they are there. Don't worry about those IED's those are just homemade fireworks they set off to welcome their liberators. BTW Halliburton stock ended up 85 cents to close at 37.45 and gas is almost $3 a gallon. Keep up the great work, with your help we can over-throw the republican dictators here in the US in November. Don't forget to keep an eye out for bin Laden too (remember him?)
	Report Comment Debra, Tulsa (3/26/2008 4:48:44 PM) Thank you for serving our country, Chris!! You gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. God Bless your soul and may your family be comforted through this very difficult time.

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