Christopher Staats
Feb 13, 1972 - Oct 16, 2009  FREDERICKSBURG native Chris Staats, a staff
sergeant with the Texas Army National Guard, was killed in Afghanistan
on Friday as the result of an IED attack on his vehicle.
Story from the Fredericksburg Standard Newspaper 10/21/2009
The news hit home last Friday when word was received that
Fredericksburg native Staff Sergeant Christopher Neil Staats, 32, had
been killed in Afghanistan.Staats and fellow Texas Army National Guard soldier, Sergeant Anthony Gabriel Green, 28, of Matthews, NC, died as the result of an IED attack on their vehicle in the Wardak Province. Both soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and were assigned to the 143rd Infantry Detachment, Austin. “The Texas Army National Guard family mourns the deaths of these dear friends and brave soldiers and extends its deepest sympathy to family members and friends,” according to a statement issued by the Texas Army National Guard. “They are in our hearts and prayers,” the release said. At this time, funeral arrangements for Staats are pending at Schaetter Funeral Home. Wounded in the same incident that killed Staats and Green were Major John J. Ploch and Sergeant Todd L. Plybon, both of whom suffered non-life threatening injuries. Staats was nearing the end of his second deployment. One of a group of 12 specially selected soldiers from across the state, Staats left for Afghanistan in January and was due to return home around Christmas. Staats was a part of an agri-business development team whose purpose was to help the people of Afghanistan become self-sufficient through farming, ranching and business. While in Afghanistan, the team was helping set up a water reservoir and experimental farming. “I am incredibly proud of Chris for his service, his dedication and his belief in helping the people of Afghanistan,” said his wife, Monteigne Cordray Staats. They were married on Nov. 17, 2005, in Austin. “Chris knew that this was his job,” she said. “He knew that this is what he was sent to do -- to help them.”   |