Red Bay soldier killed in Afghanistan
Chris and Samantha Bell and their daughter, Lana, posed for a picture before Chris Bell was deployed to Afghanistan for his first tour of duty on March 21. Bell, a long-time resident of Red Bay, was killed by a roadside bomb on Saturday in Langham Province in northeastern Afghanistan.
As the years have passed since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, coverage of the War on Terror has waned and many people seemed to forget about the thousands of American soldiers who were still on foreign soil fighting a faceless enemy known as terror.
With the announcement nearly six weeks ago by President Barack Obama that Osama bin Laden had been killed, the nation rejoiced that the man responsible for those attacks was finally gone. But that man left behind followers who are still hostile towards the American soldiers in their land – followers who still have hatred for brave Americans like Red Bay resident Cpl. Christopher Roger Bell, who was killed Saturday by a roadside bomb in Langham Province in northeastern Afghanistan.
Officials said Bell, 21, was on a morning patrol with three other soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, a military police unit, when the improvised exploding device (IED) detonated, killing all four soldiers.
Bell’s younger brother, Zack, said a military chaplain and a captain came to their home Saturday about 8 p.m. and told his parents Bell had been killed. He wasn’t home at the time, but he rushed home when his father called with the news.
“The officers told us that Chris was the only one who might could have survived the explosion; the other three died on impact,” Zack Bell said. “They tried to pull him out, but he wouldn’t leave his men behind.”
Corey Pardue, a friend of the Bells for the past eight years, said that sounded like something his friend would do.
“He really believed in the motto that no man should be left behind,” Pardue said. “He was always putting others before himself, in every aspect of his life. That’s just the kind of person Chris was.”
Bell’s mother, Barbara, said her middle son had always been interested in the military and in law enforcement and had even talked about making a career out of it.
“It was something he had wanted to do for a long time, as much as I tried to stop him,” she said. “I am honored and proud to know that he died a hero, but I just wish he could’ve come home.”
Zack Bell said his brother joined the military as soon as he graduated from Tremont (Miss.) High School in 2008. After completing basic training, he was stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson adjacent to Anchorage, Alaska, where he lived with his wife, Samantha, and their daughter, Lana, who will be two years old in August.
Bell remained at the base in Alaska until his deployment on March 21 to Afghanistan on his first tour of duty. Bell was scheduled to be overseas for 15 months.
“Ever since I was younger, Chris was the person I looked up to and he was more like a father figure than an older brother,” Zack Bell said. “I always wanted to be just like him.”
“Chris was the most disciplined person,” Pardue added. “He was always trying to better himself. He started college as soon as he got on the base and he worked out all the time to stay in shape. He was very dedicated to things he believed in.”
Zack Bell added his brother was also dedicated to his family, especially his wife and daughter.
“Chris was definitely a family man,” he said. “As soon as he got married and then when his daughter was born, he was always there for his family.”
Zack Bell said Samantha and Lana Bell would be moving back to the area to be closer to family.
“You couldn’t have found a better match than Chris and Samantha,” he said. “She will always be a special part of our family no matter what. Once a Bell, always a Bell.”
Pardue, who introduced Chris and Samantha Bell when they were in high school, said he couldn’t imagine what she was going through.
“I don’t know what I would do if I was in her shoes,” Pardue said. “But she’s handling it okay. She’s tough and she has to stay strong for Lana.”
Samantha Bell said she will cling to the special memories she made with her husband during the three years they dated and the nearly three years they were married. Tuesday would have been their three-year anniversary.
He was an honorable and devoted father and husband. He always made sure he was able to provide for us, and he was always a couple of steps ahead of everything,” Samantha Bell said. “He wasn’t one for making a decision without thinking about how it would effect the future.”
She said their daughter, Lana, was Bell’s whole world and he loved nothing more than making her happy.
“Just spoiling her was what Chris did best because she was daddy’s girl,” Samantha Bell said. “He will not only live in our heart and memories but through her – she is a spitting image of her daddy.
“Chris taught me so much about things and made me a strong person where I could raise our daughter. I’m so proud of him.”
She added that Bell was proud to be in the military and to serve his county, and his fellow soldiers were proud to have him around.
“Law enforcement was something he wanted to do even before we got together,” she said. “When he became an MP (military police), he would come in the door singing ‘I’m an MP, baby, and I’m rolling on down the line’, which was a cadence he learned in basic training. He was proud of being able to help and to try to make a difference.
“The best quality about him was the fact he was always willing to help others, whether it was studying for promotion boards, getting the right equipment, or just being there to listen. He was known as the ‘go to guy’ because everybody knew he would get it done.”
Pardue said everyone liked Bell and that he had no enemies. He was smart, fun and just an all-around great person to know.
“Chris was the easiest person to talk to because he would just listen to you and try to understand,” Pardue said. “He had this certain quality about him that as soon as you met him, you liked him. He always brought energy into a room and made everything fun.
“I have family that’s in the military, but pound for pound, Chris was the toughest person I’ve ever met in my life. There was no quit in him.”
Barbara Bell said she knew her son would be missed by many because of the kind of person he was.
“He was a great son – a momma’s son,” she said. “He was always thinking about others and worried about other people. He was just a great son, husband, father and brother.”
The city of Red Bay is mourning with the Bells at the loss of one of their own. At Monday night’s city council meeting, flags in the city still flew at half-mast and the council expressed their sorrow at the loss of such a brave young man.
“It is a sad time in Red Bay right now,” councilman Mike Stockton said. “What a sacrifice it was that this man made. I am so thankful for men like him who are willing to make that sacrifice for others.”
Councilwoman Charlene Fancher is a friend of the Bell family and she said she broke down when Barbara Bell called her with the news.
“I cannot even comprehend losing a child, especially to war,” Fancher said. “Barbara loves her boys and she was so proud of Chris. She talked about him all the time. Chris gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country and my heart is just breaking for his family at their loss.”
Councilman David Tiffin said it’s hard to understand the loss of someone so young who was just at the beginning of his life.
“So many people go overseas to war and then come back safely and we don’t think there will be that loss, especially one so close to home,” Tiffin said. “My prayers are with this family.”
“Red Bay has lost a young man that was a hero,” Mayor Bobby Forsythe added. “He fought and died bravely for his country and we as a city are proud to call him one of ours. He will be greatly missed.
“We will put this family in our prayers and ask the good Lord to give them strength and guidance and lead them through this difficult time.”
