Fallen soldier's family urges support for those still deployed

BY JERRY WOFFORD World Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
5/30/12 at 7:19 AM

View a memorial to Oklahomans who have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

View photos and an interactive map of the 45th Infantry Brigade of the Oklahoma Army National Guard.

Relatives of a Collinsville soldier whose body was returned Tuesday to Tulsa from Afghanistan, where he was killed, said they want people to continue to support other soldiers still in harm's way.

Oklahoma Army National Guard Spc. Christopher D. Horton, 26, was killed Sept. 9 by small-arms fire.

His remains were met Tuesday by his wife, Jane Horton, and his parents, Cherie and David Horton, at the Oklahoma Air National Guard Base in Tulsa.

"Today is the day we welcome home a true American hero," Jane Horton said.

Christopher Horton's family wanted people to know what kind of person he was, but they also wanted to urge people to support the members of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

"That's why his parents and I are choosing to do interviews even during the toughest day of our lives," Jane Horton said.

"So people understand these soldiers need your support. Not only are they losing their best friends, but they have to get up every day and keep going and keep going and keep going."

Family members talked about Horton's passion in everything he did and how that was a major factor for his joining the military.

"My son's passion his whole life was to be a part of the military," Cherie Horton said. "He loved his country, and he really wanted to serve his country. I'm very, very proud of him.

"He was absolutely made to be a soldier."

Horton graduated in 2003 from the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Mo. He was captain of the school's shooting team, which led him to be a skilled marksman, his mother said.

He enlisted in the Oklahoma National Guard in 2008 and was trained as an infantryman, according to a news release from the Guard. His sharpshooting experience helped him gain sniper qualification.

This was Horton's first deployment with the Guard. He was a member of the Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry, based in Tulsa.

Jane Horton said her husband's fiery passion and their mutual love for politics brought them together. Their friendship began and "we just knew," she said.

David Horton said his son also had a sharp wit.

"He had a great sense of humor," he said. "We're going to miss his quips and his sarcasm."

Cherie Horton said her family's "hearts are now with the soldiers who are still there."

"We are so appreciative of their sacrificial lives," she said. "We all need to continue praying and lifting them up, and we need to bring them home."

The Horton family has received an outpouring of support from around the world, said David Horton, who runs David Horton Ministries.

A church in Peru emailed them to say they had held a special service dedicated to Christopher Horton. Churches in Australia and Fiji also have held prayer services for their son, he said.

"The show of support from the Christian community, the church community, the ministerial community has been more than anyone could ask," David Horton said.

Two other soldiers also were killed in the attack that left Christopher Horton dead. Funeral services for Sgt. Bret D. Isenhower, 26, of Seminole were held Monday. Pfc. Tony J. Potter, 20, of Okmulgee was laid to rest Saturday.

A celebration of life for Horton is set for 1 p.m. Friday at the First United Methodist Church in Tulsa under the direction of Floral Haven Funeral Home of Broken Arrow. He will be interred later at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Eleven Oklahoma National Guard soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the deployment began in late June.

Original Print Headline: Summons for support

Jerry Wofford 918-581-8310
jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.com

Associated Images:

The casket of Spc. Christopher D. Horton is removed from a jet at the Oklahoma Air Guard Base on Tuesday. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

Remembered
Oklahoma Army National Guard Spc. Christopher D. Horton: He was killed Sept. 9 in Afghanistan by small-arms fire.

The hearse containing the casket of Oklahoma National Guard Spc. Christopher D. Horton passes by supporters Tuesday. His mother, Cherie Horton, said her family's "hearts are now with the soldiers who are still there." MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

Jane Horton, the widow of Oklahoma National Guard Spc. Christopher D. Horton, cries at his casket Tuesday at the Oklahoma Air National Guard Base in Tulsa. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

Wendy Hall, whose husband was friends with Spc. Christopher Horton, attends the return of Horton's body Tuesday at the Oklahoma Air National Guard Base in Tulsa. Hall's husband is deployed. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World

A jet containing the remains of Spc. Christopher Horton lands Tuesday in Tulsa. "We are so appreciative" of service members' "sacrificial lives," Horton's mother, Cherie Horton, said. MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World