Jeremy E. Christensen never did anything halfway, either in work or in play. Take Thanksgiving: His preferred activity wasn't a relaxed game of tossing the pigskin with the family. "Full-contact football," said his younger brother, George Hunt Jr. "No pads." Christensen, 27, of Albuquerque, N.M., died Nov. 27 when his tank was destroyed by a roadside bomb during a combat patrol north of Baghdad. He was based at Schweinfurt, Germany. He grew up in the Portland area and signed up with the Army National Guard at age 18 and attended Mt. Hood Community College. Once Christensen was a civilian again, he moved to Idaho to work as bail bondsmen and later moved to Albuquerque to serve as office manager with the company. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Christensen decided to re-enter the military. He said "that's too close to home. I need to go and serve my country, and keep you guys safe," said Gerri Jimenez, a co-worker and friend. "He was prepared for the war. He wasn't scared." He is survived by his mother, Linda Hakes; stepfather, Rick Adamek; and father, George Hunt.∼Spc. Jeremy E. Christensen of Albuquerque, New Mexico never did anything halfway, either in work or in play. He grew up in the Portland area and signed up with the Army National Guard at age 18 and attended Mt. Hood Community College. Once Christensen was a civilian again, he moved to Idaho to work as bail bondsmen and later moved to Albuquerque to serve as office manager with the company. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Jeremy decided to re-enter the military. He was a few years older than the other soldiers in the Anvil Troop and his maturity and easygoing temperament stood out. No one ever heard him once complain about anything and he was very easy to get along with. The training didn't prepare the men for the poor, torn-up areas they patrolled, often meeting children with little to eat or drink. Jeremy was always good to the children. You could see that he genuinely cared, felt sorry for them, and that he wanted to help. The only thing he cared more about was the safety of his fellow soldier. In May, troops were patrolling on foot in Duluiyah. Crossing an intersection, they came under intense fire from machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The group's only cover was a curb. They radioed for help and got an answer from Jeremy's tank. As they approached, Jeremy was in the loader's hatch manning the M240 machine gun. They pointed out the direction of the enemy, and Jeremy immediately took them under fire. He was standing in the hatch the entire time, completely exposed to enemy fire, but he did not budge. Without Jeremy, Every member of that team would have been wounded or possibly killed. He saved their lives that day, while disregarding his own safety. During the firefight, Jeremy's arm was "zinged" by a bullet, a skin wound that he later told his family was a reaction to a vaccination. He is survived by his mother, Linda Hakes; stepfather, Rick Adamek; and father, George Hunt. He was killed at age 27 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol vehicle in Duilayah, Iraq.

Army
1st Squadron
4th Armored Cavalry Regiment
1st Infantry Division
Schweinfurt, Germany