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(Photo: AP)
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When Staff Sgt. Brian R. Hellermann joined the military after high school in Minnesota, it was his way of honoring his father, who died when Hellermann was about 15, a former classmate recalled.
"Throughout high school and even after, there were several times when he was talking about his dad and how he wanted his dad to be proud of him and the life he was living, and I'm pretty sure that was his whole reason for joining the military in the first place," said Scott Middendorf.
Hellermann, 35, was killed Aug. 6, 2003, in an ambush in Baghdad. He is survived by his wife, Michelle, and two children _ son Travis, 14, and daughter Katelynn, 9.
Stationed at Fort Bragg, Hellermann had been in the military for 17 years and planned to retire sometime after 20 years.
In a Feb. 13 e-mail to a friend, Hellermann wrote, "I'm still in because I want to provide the freedom to all those I love and care about."
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