'He was born a Marine'

Image courtesy: U.S. Marine Corps

Sgt. Chris Hrbek knew he wanted to serve others all the way back in high school. Growing up in Westwood, New Jersey, he began volunteering for the local fire department at age 16. About seven months after graduation, he embarked on one of the most difficult mental and physical challenges known to man: Marine Corps basic training on South Carolina's Parris Island.

Hrbek's career as a Marine was stellar, to say the least. The Star-Ledger reports he served an incredible three tours in Iraq before leaving for Afghanistan in November. One of his most significant achievements came on his final deployment:

On Christmas Day, Marine Sgt. Christopher Hrbek called home to Bergen County from Afghanistan with the news he had been nominated for a Bronze Star.

A fellow Marine, a master sergeant, had been gravely injured by a bomb buried in the dirt. Under heavy enemy fire, Hrbek and a Navy corpsman had rushed to the man’s aid, applying tourniquets to the stumps of his severed legs and carrying him to safety.

Only weeks after helping save a fellow servicemember's life, the 25-year-old Marine was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand Province on Thursday. The article says the Hrbek family will be presented the Bronze Star he courageously earned.

While his stepbrother said Hrbek "was born a Marine," his grieving wife, Jamie, explained how their relationship flourished despite the difficulties of overseas deployments.

When they first saw each other three years ago, it was only for a few seconds, she said. She was a waitress in a local restaurant. He was a customer. Hrbek was about to talk to her when he was summoned to a fire scene. It would be a month before he got her number from a friend.

“We could have said we loved each other without really seeing each other,” she said.

They talked for six hours in that first phone conversation. Late in 2007, they married.

“I could say a thousand things about him,” she said. “He was filled with a sense of adventure.”

Kudos to The Star-Ledger for filing such a detailed report about one of New Jersey's finest citizens.