Today is the service for Kristie's husband. Sign On San Diego had a nice write up about him. Even though you don't know him, this gives us a glimpse into what 1 - 20 families go through daily as soldiers are killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Salem Bachar
Tuesday, April 18 2006 @ 07:03 AM
SignOnSanDiego (edited) -- When Cpl. Salem Bachar left Camp Pendleton for Iraq on Jan. 25, he told his wife, Kristine, to hope for the best but expect the worst.
The worst came for her Thursday when she learned that her husband was killed in an attack earlier that day in Anbar province in Iraq. He was on his second tour of duty.
“We were writing e-mails to each other almost every day, and he telephoned me twice a week,” said Kristine Bachar, who had married Salem 12 days before his deployment during a small backyard ceremony with immediate family members.
“We were exchanging notes and photos of what we wanted for our big wedding and reception,” she added. “We were planning to have that celebration when he returned home.”
Salem Bachar, 20, spoke English, Spanish and Arabic. He was an intelligence specialist assigned to the Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton. He had graduated from Chula Vista High School in 2003 before joining the Marines.
Besides his wife, he is survived by his parents, Martha and Fouad Bachar of Chula Vista, and his twin sisters, who attend his alma mater. The family was in mourning yesterday, Kristine Bachar said.
Salem Bachar was friends with Kristine's relatives for most of his childhood, but he didn't meet her until two years ago.
“It truly was love at first sight,” she said during a phone interview from her family's house in Fontana. “We couldn't stop talking, so we stayed up until 4 a.m.”
She came to cherish his sense of humor and his penchant for quoting jokes by Carlos Mencia, a comedian featured on the Comedy Central cable TV channel.
The couple was saving money to buy a home in south Orange County, close to Camp Pendleton.
“He was so happy, so full of life, so energetic. He was the spotlight wherever he went,” said Kristine Bachar. “All I can say is that he loved being a Marine. He had it in his blood.”
Salem Bachar
Tuesday, April 18 2006 @ 07:03 AM
SignOnSanDiego (edited) -- When Cpl. Salem Bachar left Camp Pendleton for Iraq on Jan. 25, he told his wife, Kristine, to hope for the best but expect the worst.
The worst came for her Thursday when she learned that her husband was killed in an attack earlier that day in Anbar province in Iraq. He was on his second tour of duty.
“We were writing e-mails to each other almost every day, and he telephoned me twice a week,” said Kristine Bachar, who had married Salem 12 days before his deployment during a small backyard ceremony with immediate family members.
“We were exchanging notes and photos of what we wanted for our big wedding and reception,” she added. “We were planning to have that celebration when he returned home.”
Salem Bachar, 20, spoke English, Spanish and Arabic. He was an intelligence specialist assigned to the Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton. He had graduated from Chula Vista High School in 2003 before joining the Marines.
Besides his wife, he is survived by his parents, Martha and Fouad Bachar of Chula Vista, and his twin sisters, who attend his alma mater. The family was in mourning yesterday, Kristine Bachar said.
Salem Bachar was friends with Kristine's relatives for most of his childhood, but he didn't meet her until two years ago.
“It truly was love at first sight,” she said during a phone interview from her family's house in Fontana. “We couldn't stop talking, so we stayed up until 4 a.m.”
She came to cherish his sense of humor and his penchant for quoting jokes by Carlos Mencia, a comedian featured on the Comedy Central cable TV channel.
The couple was saving money to buy a home in south Orange County, close to Camp Pendleton.
“He was so happy, so full of life, so energetic. He was the spotlight wherever he went,” said Kristine Bachar. “All I can say is that he loved being a Marine. He had it in his blood.”
Comments
Post a Comment