Life and the internet are strange strange things. I’ve been trading emails and posts etc with Chris for years now. It wasn’t at all uncommon for his duties, deployments, and family to make those virtual conversations sporadic from time to time. Well, Chris won’t be returning emails anymore. He passed away suddenly on June 30, 2009.
Last Fall he and his wife Shannon had a baby girl, Lilly. Chris was so happy. We teased him about how awful it is to step on Barbie Doll high heels in the middle of the night, and he bragged about how his friends Mossberg and Remington were gonna help keep the boys away from his little beauty.
A few weeks later he deployed to Afghanistan. We still got emails from him. He sent pics, talked about the firefights, artillery barrages on Christmas night, and how, ‘once you accept that if you step off the path you’re in a minefield , and you’re dead, it’s not that bad. Ya just stay on the path.’ He didn’t love it over there in the ass-end of the planet by any stretch of the imagination, but he was extremely proud to be doing his duty-at least, that’s what he told us in emails.
Chris was always brash, blunt, bold, and beautiful in his political commentary. He was in no uncertain terms not happy with the Democratic Party, its leaders or its followers. Time and again he posted here at Flopping Aces in response to DNC talking points about Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terror. He would NEVER stoop to re-naming it ‘overseas contingency operations in support of combat in Operations Iraqi Freedom and/or Operation Enduring Freedom. People would post that there were no WMD in Iraq, and he’s show pictures and links and tell personal stories of his time there. They’d say there was no Al Queda in Iraq, and that Saddam and Bin Laden had no relationship, and he’d wig out with tales of what he had personally seen.
What really set Chris off the most in terms of war and politics seemed to be the lack of support, the fake support, and the deliberate division of the nation for political purposes. Time and time again he claimed that the opposition to the war was just a way of bitching about George W Bush. He claimed that if Obama was elected, the opposition to the war would disappear in a heartbeat. He was right. He hated the claim that people could claim supported the troops, and then oppose their efforts to succeed; oppose their hard work. It pissed him off. He said in one email it was like saying you support the players on your baseball team, but not wanting them to win. He saw it as a lie, a lie for partisan political reason, and he saw the fake opposition to America’s wars as something weak, something that he personally, directly, unequivocally witnessed giving strength to the enemy and made his job harder. He described this firsthand frustration in almost every email, every post, and every article that he wrote.
This weekend the Flopping Aces writers were trading emails and having one of those REPLY TO ALL discussions. One of us asked what we’d all be wondering, “Has anyone heard from Chris lately?” Curt was the last. He had heard from him in early June. It only took a few moments of Googling, and someone found his obituary. We couldn’t believe it was him. Too much hair in the picture-not enough hair. More Googling followed. So did more information. Yeah, it was him.
On June 30th Major Chris Galloway took his own life. He had come back from Afghanistan in April, and things just weren’t the same we’re told.
Why’d we lose him? Who the hell knows. There is no rational reason for doing such a thing, so using reason to figure it out is both impossible and ineffectual. It accomplishes nothing. In the end, he’s still gone. For the sake of his wife, his kids, and for ourselves it’s better to remember him for who he was. Given that he was so much to so many, there’s a lot to think about. He was a husband, father, soldier, a writer for Flopping Aces, and I consider him my friend. We all consider him our friend. May God bless him and give him peace. He’s earned it.
Chris’ military honors:
MAJOR Christopher Todd Galloway was born in FT. Knox, KY on February 12, 1973.
He Graduated from Oxford High School in 1991, where he was a member of the explorer scouts program and he also took great interest in computers and engineering.
MAJOR Galloway went to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI (where he met his wife Shannon) He graduated in 1996 with a bachelors degree in engineering management. He became involved in ROTC while in college and went to Basic training at FT. Knox, KY.
After Graduation, MAJOR Galloway’s 1st assignment was tank platoon leader in Baumholder, Germany for the C company, 1st battalion, 35th armor of 1st Armor division. While serving as a tank platoon leader, MAJOR Galloway deployed to Bosnia for 6 months conducting the NATO peace keeping operations. He was latter assigned to headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) Excutive Officer under the same Battalion.
Major GAlloway’s service includes Assistant Brigade S3 and Batalian S4 in FT. Riley, KS under the 1st Infantry Division. He Served as Troop Commander under D Troop, 1st Squadron, 16th Cavarly regiment in FT. Knox KY. This is where Chris Earned his spurs and Stetson that he was so proud of.
In 2006, Major Galloway was assessed in the Army Acquisition Corps. He served his 1st Acquisition assignment as the assistant Project manager (APM) for survivability under the TANK-AUTOMOTIVE research, development and Engineering center (TARDEC) in Warren, MI. He was deployed to Iraq in 2007 till the Birth of his 2nd son.
He served his most recent assignment with the joint MRAP Vehicle Program office for Mine resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) as the APM Survivability under the Program Executive Office, Combat support & Combat service support (PEO CS&CSS)
Major Galloway’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service metal, Army Commendation Metal (2 OLC), Army Achievement metal, National Defense Service metal, NATO metal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign metal, Global War on Terrorism Service Metal, and the overseas and Army Service ribbon.
He is Survived by his wife Shannon and their 3 children. Nathan (4.5), Benjamin (2) and Lillian (10 months)
Major Galloway is also survived by his Mother Sara Galloway and his sister Erin Galloway. He was preceded in Death by his father Major Lawrence Galloway.
There will be a trust fund set up for Major Galloway’s children soon, details to follow.
Chris’ articles here at Flopping Aces
Not even sure how to start this post, it’s all been a blur. As Scott described above it began with a simple “has anyone heard from Chris?” and it snowballed from there. I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined it would end like this. The Chris I knew and befriended here on Flopping Aces, first as a commenter and then author when I asked him to come aboard on September 6th, 2007 was solid as a rock. He served his country in war and peacetime. He was so proud of his country and his babies but was passionate about the direction this country was going in and he didn’t like it one bit…as none of us did either.
But why would he take his own life?
The last few emails I received from him in early June, apologizing for the lack of writing (which we all understood due to his service to our country) spoke of him going through some tough personal problems. I told him to stay in touch and if he needed anything to please contact me.
I never heard from him again.
As Scott said above “so using reason to figure it out is both impossible and ineffectual. It accomplishes nothing. In the end, he’s still gone.” So we will choose to honor a life he should be proud of.
Chris, may you rest in peace, and know that those issues you were so passionate about will not be forgotten by us left behind. You served your country proudly and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This weekend has been surreal. Our author off-forum discussions of Chris left us in varying states of disbelief, bewilderment and grieving. And I will even add, frustrating.
As one of the newest authors here, I feel cheated not having the cyber relationship longevity Curt, Scott and a few others have enjoyed. But my recent entry to this tight knit, and often sibling taunting, FA family never seemed to matter to Chris. From the moment that Curt brought me in to join the crew, Chris’ heart was opened, and his thoughts unedited.
But that human “welcome mat” seemed to be Chris all around. He had this knack of seeing beauty and bright spots in the darkest moments, or most barren terrain. A giving kind of guy with a heart bigger than a mountain, convictions as solid as the man of steel, and a loyalty and patriotism most could not fathom, let alone match.
Those same qualities are reflected in his military service as well. In some ways, you latecomers to FA can see into Chris’s soul by reading his first “guest post” in Sept 2007, called “My Iraq”. It was a post that led to his FA authorship status, and Curt’s comments still reside at the bottom of that post… tho I am chagrined to find the photos have been lost to archives and technological snafus from our history of cyber attacks. (Curt’s Note: I found the pictures in the archive and have put them back into that post)
Chris’s specialty was MRAPs. In essence, his job was to protect the troops… literally… with expertise in armoring up not only vehicles, but the gear they carried. Chris’s last tour in Iraq included new troops to care for… the Iraqi Army.
In that first post from Chris – still serving at that time in Iraq – one of the lost photos is of a newly trained Iraqi soldier embracing and comforting a child in the aftermath of battle.
The Iraqi Soldier of today is better educated, better lead, and better supported than he ever was. Would they be on par with the Western Coalition today? No, but few are and we train heard just to keep that proficiency ourselves.
That said, the Iraqi Army is probably the best armed force in the Arab/Persian world. If you cannot look at this picture and be touched by the emotional comfort the Soldier is providing the child, then I doubt anything I have to say will matter as your heart is full of hatred for the USA, our President, our Armed Forces, and the good Iraqi People.
So how does this affect yours truly? I helped equip this Soldier you see hugging the child. Everything he has on him and even that generator behind him are things I helped provide. That is my contribution to the war now. I help to build a professional Iraqi Army. My years as an Armor Officer are over. I have moved to Acquisitions. My vengeance to the terrorists no longer comes from the muzzles of my tanks, but from the ability of the Iraqis to hunt and kill the barbarian terrorist thugs themselves.
To re’read that post, and archives of Chris’s emails to us that were not for the public forum, the tears still well up. This was not a man who cried uncle in the face of adversity, but one who stood defiantly against those that preyed on the freedom and future of others. His convictions for our military, our mission in the Middle East, and his distinct dedication as a protector of all within in his power and reach is something that you find in few individuals.
He tried to find the beauty wherever he was… even describing Bagram as “nice, if dusty” in his final FA post after arriving in Afghanistan Nov of 2008. No matter where he was, Chris never lost the poet, nor sense of humor, that resided within.
Along with losing a cyber friend that I treasured, I have a particular sadness for Chris. He spent his adult life loving, giving and protecting. I can’t help but feel that, at a time when the “protector” needing protecting himself, that we… those he guarded and shielded with his very life… were perhaps unintentionally blind to his personal plight. Maybe we felt that one who displayed so much magnificence in his dedication to others was invincible to every incoming threat… military or personal.
Today, we know differently. For a reason we may never know, this man who gave his all for country, his fellow troops, and even strangers in a strange land, found himself running on “empty” when it came to protecting himself.
Chris? If there’s an ISP connection in heaven, you shall be missed. And never again will I see another warrior/protector, without wondering if perhaps I should find a way to give back and refuel his spirit…. Just in case he or she is too proud to say they are in trouble.
RIP, our friend.
The Internet makes our world smaller. It puts us into contact with people that we would otherwise have never known and our lives are made better for it.
It’s strange how you can grow attached to people that you have never met in person. That’s what happened when I “met” Chris. I became attached to him. I looked forward to hearing what he had to say.
Through Chris’ posts and his comments a man who truly loved his family and his country came shining through. A man with steely eyed resolve, quick wit, and a heart of gold. The dedication, determination, discipline, and skill that he put into his job as a defender of freedom was communicated loud and clear to all of us who read his words.
The pride, the joy, and the love that he had for his children was unmistakable.
Chris believed in America. He believed in our cause in Iraq and Afghanistan. Chris believed that he could make a difference. Chris did make a difference.
From his first post here at FA:
To those who serve and support our efforts and are part of the war to crush the rising tide of terrorism and hijacked Islam, you will look at this picture, and like me, promise those little eyes that we WILL NOT FAIL. I looked at this picture the most today writing this letter. I kept asking myself if I have done everything I can to give her the opportunity to work for freedom and live in true peace. I hope I have. I know others have given everything in that cause. 3,000 Americans have given their lives so little children like this girl will not live under tyranny. Many thousands more have given years of their lives to fight the rising tide of tyrants in the world.
To those people, I give my sincerest thanks and love, as everyone who reads this should also. They are the ones who make life worth living. It does not matter who these supporters of Freedom are or what they can provide to the effort. The fact that they provide is enough.
Just before Chris left for Afghanistan he e-mailed back and forth to the authors here at FA in one of the REPLY ALL conversations that we have so frequently. He told us that he was headed to Fort Benning, GA and, from there, to the “austere” surroundings of Afghanistan.
At the end of our group conversation I sent Chris an e-mail message. I asked him if it would be OK for our family to pray for him during his deployment and he told me that he would very much appreciate that.
I told him that, though we had never met, I would always be grateful for what he was doing for our country and, more personally, my family.
My wife, my children, and I thought of Chris and prayed for him while he was gone. We are all deeply saddened by his departure.
Our thoughts and prayers are now extended to Shannon and the children as well, as Chris’ mother, and his sister, and the rest of his family and friends. My God cover you and comfort you with fond memories as you travel this stony portion of life’s pathway.
Major Galloway rest well sir, rest well.
In ways you could never have imagined, you really did make a difference. My only regret is that we were unable to help make a difference for you when you needed us most.
All Is Well
Whate’er you dream, with doubt possessed,
Keep, keep it snug within your breast,
And lay you down and take your rest;
And when you wake, to work again,
The wind it blows, the vessel goes,
And where and whither, no one knows.‘Twill all be well: no need of care;
Though how it will, and when, and where,
We cannot see, and can’t declare.
In spite of dreams, in spite of thought,
‘Tis not in vain, and not for nought,
The wind it blows, the ship it goes,
Though where and whither, no one knows.- Arthur Hugh Clough
Life has a tendency to throw you a curve ball when you least expect one. This week in a ‘reply all’ email exchange, my fellow Flopping Aces contributors were shocked to discover the sudden loss of a treasured member of our internet family.
I was in awe of the talent, drive and passion that projected from his writings when I first joined the posse. His warm welcome calmed my anxiety of joining such a talented group of bloggers. Chris wasn’t just talking about the WOT, he was part of the story. Through private emails to our group, he fleshed out the story of Afghanistan; yet I always detected a note of hope in his dispatches. God, it hurts to write these words. During his deployment, I sent prayers his way during the weekly rally in West Chester – I will continue to do so for his wife and children.
I’m still trying to come to an understanding with the manner of his death, perhaps settling with never having a clear answer. Instead, I chose to remember Chris through his own words which reveal a passionate patriot, dedicated professional, and doting dad. He tirelessly worked to build a better, safer world for men, women and children halfway across the globe.
Let’s not mourn him, but honor his service by continuing to work for a better nation and a better world:
Turn Again To Life
If I should die and leave you here awhile,
Be not like others, sore undone,
Who keep long vigils by the silent dust and weep.
For my sake – turn to life and smile,
nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do
Something to comfort other hearts than thine.
Complete those dear unfinished tasks of mine
And I , perchance, may therein comfort you.~Mary Lee Hall
Rest in peace, Major Chris Galloway. You will not be forgotten.
I’ve been noticeably missing the past week or so for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is Army business, but I can’t blame it all on work. At the end of the show, I publicly admitted that I’m having issues dealing with life.
-CJ, writing on June 30th, the very day ChrisG committed suicide.
Back in March, I was about to transition to a new job and had interest in having another go at the military reserves, although I was rejected 2 years ago.
The recruiter I had begun talking to abruptly broke off contact. On March 18th, I sent an email to CJ of A Soldier’s Perspective, venting frustration. He wrote back:
To their credit this time, the Army is busy with a lot of suicide prevention training lately, especially the recruiters. Maybe give them another week, but keep trying!
Just the day before this, CJ had posted on suicide prevention programs within the military.
On March 6th, about 2 weeks earlier, CJ’s post began:
I want to address that Soldier, Marine, Sailor, or Airman that may have come here for answers. You may be contemplating suicide and you’re seeking help over the internet. If this is your only outlet, please seek us out. My email address is on the sidebar and regardless of the time of day, you may contact me. If you need help, I will give you my personal phone number. Above all, don’t go to extremes and try to kill yourself.
I can promise you that this world is a beautiful place and you are an amazing part of it. Please don’t leave people wondering what kind of world it would have been had you stayed in it! There is nothing in this world worthy of taking your life. Believe it or not, a failed relationship, a bad deployment experience, a failed job, delinquent bills, terrible leadership, the loss of a family member or friend – none of that is worth your life. I desperately urge you to take those issues in your life and become something bigger in spite of your problems. There are people who care about you deeply and want to help you through whatever you’re facing right now. We may not understand, but we care and want help you through it. Once you take your life, it can’t be taken back.
If you don’t contact us for help, please go somewhere. Check out www.militaryonesource.com for people that can help. Go to your chain of command. Seek out a complete stranger. Go to a hospital or police department. Just do something besides trying to take your life. I don’t know you personally, but I’d like to.
Although I’ve never met Chris, and had only limited contact and conversations with him, it’s difficult for any of us- his friends and family members most of all- not to wonder what we could have done to have made the difference in his life that might have given him that one moment of pause he needed to get him through. I had seen CJ’s post in March; around June or July, CJ himself came to grips with his own need to reach out for professional help and was diagnosed with PTSD. Chris ended his life in late June.
The “what if’s” inevitably begin to swirl around in my head: What if I had followed through with a blogpost of my own, then? Even just simply linked to CJ’s important post? Like so many intended posts, it never got made…Would Chris have seen it? Read it? Remembered it in his time of need? Contacted CJ? Sought help? Or would events have unfolded the way they did, anyway? What if I had bothered to correspond more with Chris? Sent him a kind word of support about how much we admire him for the hard job that he does daily for our country? Would I have noticed any possible signs that he was in trouble?
Having had an uncle who took his own life, I will say that the grief and guilt of those loved ones left behind can be enormous.
It wasn’t unusual for Chris to not post often (given the nature of his work); but it was a bit unusual that he wouldn’t chime in a response to a group discussion by his FA cohorts just to let us know he was there, listening in; or to leave a comment on one of the FA blog posts, often caustically biting the head off a liberal moonbat in the process. Something…anything. Often, his correspondence would come in spurts. This long stretch around, I figured he was just too busy out there saving the world; stupidly not realizing he might need saving himself.
I admired Chris greatly for the sacrifices he made- for the life he lived for a cause greater than self. He was every inch the epitome of what one wanted in an American soldier: Brave, dedicated, compassionate, humorous, patriotic, and…*ahem*…..staunchly conservative. 
He loved his country and loved his family; and I am sure he loved life. Love of all three drove him to defend his country, his family, and the lives of the innocent. And for these things, more than for his FA contributions, I greatly thank him. America’s lost a true patriot; his wife has lost a husband who was crazy about her; and his children have lost a father who adored them. And THAT, is the most heartbreaking of all. As valuable as Chris is as a warrior to his country, warriors can be replaced; fathers cannot.
I can only pray that somewhere in heaven, Chris Galloway has found his peace. And that here back on earth, his wife, children, and those other loved ones he left behind will know theirs…
Dear brothers and sisters in arms, we CANNOT afford to close ourselves off from our families. They are the only ones that can see us through the difficulties of deployment. They are the best thing we have in dealing with our issues and understanding our sacrifices and duties. They sacrifice with us while we are gone and if we shut them out, we denigrate THEIR sacrifices.
It’s hard to ratchet down to the CONUS mindset knowing that in just 12 short months, you’ll be back in the combat mindset, but it’s something that must happen for the sake of our futures and our families’ futures. It would be different if there was a definite end date to these wars we’re fighting, but the enemy has a vote. We don’t now, so we need to take every step possible to find normalcy in the sea of conflict and combat we are so frequently subjected to.
If we can’t lean on and support our families, who can we turn to? Our non-military friends have no idea. Most communities have no clue. Our fellow troops have their own problems and marriages to worry about (though they are also a source to be tapped into). Our families should be our number one priority, not the Army, not the mission. Nothing should hold a higher priority in our lives except maybe our God.
If you make the Army a career, it will last 20-30 years. Your family will be there for much longer if you do it right. Why let something so temporary as the Army take precedence over something you’ve sworn to protect for “time and all eternity” or “until death do you part?”
Yes, the war is draining us emotionally and physically, but if we don’t take the battle to the enemy, they will bring it back home again. We are stronger than that. We cannot let them win by killing us physically and mentally abroad and killing our marriages back home.
-CJ, August 4th, Troops MUST Reintegrate Into Their Families
I want to thank my fellow writers for their moving tributes to Chris and the thoughtful, soul searching that we have shared together as we try to come to grips with this sad news. My friends have done such an exemplary job of addressing the issue and I join with them in expressing our heartfelt condolences to Chris’s family and especially to his children.
We’ll never understand, nor accept, why he took his own life. How can we? A man who was willing to give up his life in the service of his country should be the last person to take his own life and abandon his young family. It’s so sad to think that there was no one able to reach Chris before this tragedy occurred.
We all know that being deployed for long periods overseas places enormous strains on families. But until very recently, the suicide rate among our troops was at or below that of the population in general. This isn’t about the military. This is about a life lost. This is about a man, a father and a husband who lost his way and went down a dark path from which there is no coming back; no second chance. I doubt he choose that path. Some form of stress, or eruption of mental illness drove him down that path. The real tragedy here is that no one was able to reach him in time to save him.
If there is a “teachable moment” here it is to charge each of us with the responsiblity to extend a hand to anyone in similar danger. They may try and push us away, but that should only make us more determined to reach out and see to it they get the help they need. It’s not an easy thing to do and we may not succeed, but we must try.
People often wonder: what is the meaning of life? Why am I here? The answer is simple: we are put on this planet to love and care for others. If we can reach out and save just one soul in trouble then we are fulfilling our life’s mission.
UPDATE
More pictures from Chris
UPDATE 01-21-10
Shannon, Chris’s wife, forwarded me some pictures to put up. They were taken one week after he arrived home from Afghanistan: (click to enlarge)
no, not tonight. 6:3o pm EST
Don’t compute here, Ms. Shannon. What date is the Diane Sawyer segment? Don’t worry about the time since we’re strewn out all across this great nation. We can all search out the time Sawyer airs in our respective time zones.
Surely you don’t mean this is airing June 30th, right?
One last one for WW2 navy scabby: You do not even deserve nor belong to be swimming with the
fishes. The deepest pits of ‘paradise’ are reserved for scum bags like you, Hitler, Hussein, Mussolini and your other relations. That you would attempt to sully Chris’s life, family, the service and those who tread here at FA is beyond dispicable and perversion. Takes real courgae to slam the memory of a man who served, who was a husband and father. Take your hatred to the Huffy post, daily kos and may you
never a moments peace for being such a low life.
Thanks for removing his comments.
Shannon, put this loser and his hatred behind you. Everyday you are living the life Chris would be proud of. Thank you for the pictures and the updates. Not a day goes by without you and the family being held up in prayer.
I am not exactly sure of the date of the Diane Sawyer piece. I was told “some time in the next 2 weeks, but not tonight” It WILL air though. It will be on ABC Nightly News with Diane Sawyer.
Not my favorite Network, but Bob Wood riff approached ME. I really think Chris would be VERY proud of me for standing up for what I believe in and for advocating REAL change in a broken system for the military as a whole. This is my way of carrying on Chris’s legacy of ALWAYS caring for his soldiers and the greater good of the country.
***Stepping off of soap box now*****
Chris and I made a really good pair:)
Why, on God’s green earth, would you post such a thing as the email where he said he was probably going to get a divorce? Don’t you know that his widow and his children may read this one day? Sure, it might be the *truth* but some things are better off left in the dark. What if she didn’t know he was thinking that?
Don’t you think it is painful enough that she lost him without having that slapped around the internet?
I am a military widow myself and I have many widow friends thanks to our wonderful networking. One of my good friends found out AFTER her husband died that he was having an affair. You know how she found out? THE INTERNET. Irreparable damage. You can shatter what is left of someone’s fragile existence by shooting out comments like that without thinking of the consequences.
You can say whatever you want since we do have the freedom of speech here, but come on. You have to know that there are actual people on the other side of the computer screen. This article is proof of that.
Jessica,
WHO posted this email? For the record, I DID know, but the threat of divorce was ALL part of the PTSD, Depression and sickness. I KNOW this now. THANK YOU for standing up for me. You have never met me, yet you stood up for me. thank you. I am so very sorry for your loss.
To a moderator….. can you PLEASE remove the offensive email. Jessica is right. Even though I DO know about the email, I DO NOT want it thrown all over the internet for my kids or others to read who do NOT understand.
Not that I NEED to say this, but our marriage was NOT the reason for Chris ending his life!!!!! it was PTSD and seeing no other way out
Shannon
Shannon,
Hi there, I did not realize you read this page regularly until after I had posted it and I am so glad you took it the way that I intended.
The mention of the divorce email was part of the article above, at the top of this page. I must admit that I stopped reading it there, and immediately posted my angry comment, because I have seen firsthand what those kind of “revelations” can do to a widow. I do not know if it was rectified later in the article; I suppose I should finish reading it now.
I am so sorry for your loss. Your family is beautiful and you are so courageous.
My dad is 100% disabled by PTSD from Vietnam and I understand it now. I did not understand when I was growing up why my dad was the way he was. You and your children most definitely had nothing to do with it.
I wish you the best and I’m passing on a cyber hug to you!
jessica
Shannon finaly it is my turn to say that you are some strong person i come last but after reading all thoses comments and your answer i feel that i know you and and your husband and seen your beautifuls children is very emotional i know that you will touch many lives that need you for saying the right words all the best to your new endevour courage you have and your husband is the hero that so many will remember,i also pray for you and your children you are so young it remind me of my sister when her husband came back from the war 1944 wounded mentaly and this was not identifyed in those time brave she was to visit him at the hospital till the last time he live but his commander had help her in getting him some help he would not have had otherwise sorry i was making the connection from couragous woman in diffrent times and wars God bless you,thank you.
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Hi Shannon just to say that you have a good day bye
Shannon, new here but all the best to you and your kids. We appreciate Chris’s service to our country.
Oh My God….what a huge loss for all who knew Chris.
And my deepest sympathy to you, Shannon, and your kids.
I hope you are doing alright, considering.
It’s good that you were already working in a mental health field and hopefully got (and are still getting) whatever help you have needed to process such a crushing loss…..there just aren’t any words.
I’ve certainly gotten an education on what an outstanding man and soldier Chris was just reading the posts and articles here about him.
This is very late, but RIP, Chris.
Thank you for your service to our country.
Signed,
Suzan in Texas
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Oh my Lord, I simply don’t know what to say. I didn’t know Chris but I probably read some of his posts without realizing who he was. May God watch over his beautiful wife and three precious children.
TONIGHT!!! 6:30pm EST ABC nightly news with Dianne Sawyer May this save JUST 1 family from what we have gone through. May Chris be proud of my advocacy. Always and forever my love! Freedom isn’t free
This blog won’t be the same without his insight. It always helped this blog grow and learn. Thanks Chris, for everything.
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To Shannon, Nathan, Benjamin, Lillian, Sara, Erin and all of Chris’s extended family and friends, etc. I only just found out about 2 months ago about this crushing loss in your life. I am so, so very sorry. How completely insane it makes me in even trying to think about this and trying to rationalize what/how it transpired.
I was always very proud and in awe of Christopher’s passion of serving his county. He was one of very few who truly put his whole being into his beliefs. Very few of us are really this brave.
I was Christopher’s girlfriend at WMU for about 2 years ’94 to ’96. We started just sharing emails again in ’98. I stayed in contact with Chris as it was enjoyable and enriching to hear about how his life was going. He had so much to say about EVERYTHING. I wish I had saved some of his emails through the years where I could sense that he was beaming from ear to ear about the happiness he experienced with his wife and children. They were keepers for sure in his life. So cute!!!!!! I wanted true happiness for someone like him who really deserved it.
After we each got married, had kids, etc. our emails became more infrequent/sporadic. We exchanged emails only perhaps a total of a dozen times during all his days/tours of duty that he was overseas. It was always enlightening to hear his stories and listen to what he wanted to share about “the world”. I shared basically the “boring” things about life such as working and raising 2 kids in a Chicago suburb. I last exchaged emails with him the day before he was leaving Afghanistan in early April. I didn’t even try emailing him again until just this past early February when I knew his birthday was coming up and thought I’d just “drop him a line”. When it got returned to me I instantly felt utter terror. A quick type of Christopher Galloway into the Google search box obviously gave me the devastating news that you all have known and been conversing about and experiencing!
My heart is broken for you. I am praying for healing for all of you. Shannon: if you are interested, I was able to dig out of my memory bin the folder of pictures I had put aside from when I knew Chris. I don’t know if you want or need anymore than what you have, but I would surely give them to you. Just let me know. How else can I help?
May Christopher’s soul lie in PEACE.
Kimberly Johnson
Curt, Scott, Michael and the rest of the FA Crew:
I hope you don’t mind me posting this. I know Dianne Sawyer is not one of the favorite:) mine either, but a girls has got to do what a girl has got to do to get the word out and to honor her husbands life and memory. let me know what you think.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/145815/abc-world-news-with-diane-sawyer-thu-apr-29-2010
Mrs. Major Christopher T Galloway US Army
Thank you, Shannon, for posting this. I’m so glad we are able now to see the interview. I think it was really well done, and even though it could always have been longer since this is such an important issue, I think it made the point very clear about the need for help. You were very articulate about that need for help. Good for you! I think your explanation to the kids about Chris’ passing was a very good one, too. Take good care, and thank you again for the updates.
Of course we don’t mind Shannon. I cut the video and put it up in its own post here. It was a good spot but wish they would have spent a bit more time on the segment.
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Concerned Citizen: hi, YES, those braves militarys, are this NATION”S HEROS, they decided to be the protectors of freedom to fight the ennemies, since the beginning of THE BEAUTIFULL AMERICA;
EVERYONE ARE in debt toward them, forever. bye
@Curt: Please check out the ugly comment left today on the Aug 13, 2009 tribute to Chris.
Concerned Citizen, you look so good, when you throw manure and run to hide. Do you understand the problem so well?
Are you a Pacifist who has compassion for your fellow man, while you run by and spout hatred and expose your true vile nature?
Are you a coward who hides behind pacifism like a perverted badge of honor?
Honor, integrity, dignity, and patriotism are foreign to your nature, but you will never put your courage on the wall, so you can try to hurt and cause more pain. For you are a pathetic creature who revels in the misfortune of heroes to find your twisted form of glory and honor in the sewers of cowardice.
Be not proud bastard child of the dregs of Freedom
Yes you will stand back and spew your filth
While you gain confidence from other vile cretins
Sanctimonious claims of righteousness wilt
Without those standing upon the wall in defense
Kimerbley yes, PLEASE send your pictures and memories. I am collecting things to share with the kids from others besides just mommy. We truly were the light of his life, and he was the love of my life.
To the troll. You are the scum of the earth! You obviously don’t know the man, the solider, or care to know him so I will not bore you with the details. Just know that you are a complete ass!
To the moderators: can you PLEASE REMOVE HIS TOXIC WORDS? I am saving this thread for my children to read to see what a wonderful man their dad was and how much of a positive impact he had on many many, I wish he knew how much of an impact he had
Mrs.Chris (shannon) Galloway
The trash has already been put out by the curb Shannon.
Thank You Curt and others
Concerned citizen: You are exactly the type I would love to meet on
the street. You walk free, can mouth off and condemn those who paid and fought for
YOUR FREEDOM with their lives. You are an insult to this country and those who
serve and their families. Thanks for removing the vile comments.
PatriotUSA: Thank you and VERY well put!
Shannon, you are having a positive impact on many. Raising your lovely children and also raising awareness so families can get their loved ones help. Thank you for doing what you do.
Concerned citizen isn’t a concerned citizen at all, it is a miserable wretch, was going to call it a worm, but worms are useful.
Missy thank you
My pleasure Shannon. I live in a state full of these PC progressives who are all mouth and words.
They wither in the face of reality and truth. Keep up the awesome work you are doing.
SHANNON: hi, I must tell you that I came as soon as I read his comment, but I thought maybe,
THAT PERSON MUST be MENTALY DISTURB, SO I turn up my answer easy for him, just in case I was right. I hope you are taking care of yourself, and not getting to upset on that;
WE meet many diffrent sick minds under the cover ,as they hide. bye
SHANNON WATCH If COMMONSENSE put another one,or might have been erase from the source. take care bye. I came as soon as I saw it in my incomming comments from FA.
To CC:
You really have no idea who I am. You can call it cowardice but you are so far off the mark it is pathetic. Notice no one gives a rip about your comments and they are not here. Beaten in a ‘war of idea?’ Hardly. Internet tough guy and keyboard commando? Come up with those yourself? Hope it didn’t hurt your brain. As to you you having family deployed in Iraq, I thank them for serving and hope they get through their deployment safely. I lost friends on 9/11, I have lost friends in Iraq and Ragastan. I know a couple best friends whose sons are serving in Iraq and Ragastan, so don’t threaten me or others here, K? I don’t ‘hate muslims, CC. I pray that they come to Christ or are able by some other means to free themselves from the bondage and slavery of islam. Accusing me of hating muslims more than I love limited gov’t and the Constitution is another stupid comment of yours. I am more than willing to give my life for this country and the principles it was founded on and I will fight islam until I draw my last breath and I am called home. Your names are nothing, CC. I have been called racist, islamophobe(True), bigot,
neocon whacko, a terrorist by those in this perverted administration that this country so foolishly elected so bring it on. I am a Counter Jihadist, Constitutional conservative and align myself with no party. Don’t think for one second you have the market cornered on family serving and patriotism and love of country. You insult those who post here and have sullied the name of a very fine man and his famliy, Chris Galloway with your comments. Please get lost and do not pollute this site by trying to post comments here. You are not worthy of any more comments or effort on my part but I will stick up for Chris, Shannon and family and all others who trerd here with the best of intentions and heart.
Thank you, PatriotUSA, and God bless always.
Glad to do this, SoCal Chris. No problem at all. One has to stick for those who would do the same for me and I know most here would.
THANK YOU For taking the time to respond to the troll. There are SO MANY things I would like to say and could say, but I have better things to do with my time and energy and I am going to keep this thread PG because our children will be reading this one day.
Hey all,
I worked with Major Galloway in Kandahar on the MRAP project. He was our Military site lead. He was one of the best advocates a Civilian Contractor could have. He was either lighting the office up with his laughter or with his curses. He was a great Soldier and great Man to work with. He will be missed. I am returning to Afghanistan this week for another contract, it will be sadder knowing that he isn’t around. Shannon, my deepest condolences.
Peace,
Gene
Gene Koefler, thank you SR, and our prayers will follow you,
Mr. Koefler, thank you for stopping by. Major Galloway was someone whose comments I appreciated, always looked forward to his participation when he could be here. There can’t be any doubt that he was a great soldier and great man, appreciate you saying it because you knew him and worked with him. Stay safe.
Gene
Thank you for your comments and memories. Chris IS very dearly missed and I appreciate your insight. So true about the cursing LOL. stay safe
To the group…. we are doing pretty well. the Holidays are always hard though
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@Shannon Galloway: i’m sorry to hear of your loss.i met chris at walmart in 2000 and we was good friends.i live in Radcliff ky and he was stationed on fort knox.he will dearly be missed.my heart and prayers go out to your family.you have beauiful chrildren,
Melissa
How did you know Chris?? I never heard of you or knew you for being such a good friend. To the group would love to hear all of your Chris stories and memories and pictures . I collecting them for the kids and I to have. We talk about Chris daddy daily. Kimberly please send me your email address I would love to get pics and stories from you.
A bit of a Galloway family update… We are doing well I continue to honor the love of my life any way I can my latest is to work with armed forces. Org and dancing with the military stars raising money and awareness about silent wounds of war. PTSD and TBI