Mary Katherine Ham:
Jonathan T. Blunk
Blunk, 26, was a father of two and Navy veteran who had three Middle East tours under his belt. He’s one of four men who died Friday shielding their girlfriends from the shooter’s bullets. His girlfriend Jansen Young survived with only shrapnel wounds. Jansen’s mother describes him:
“He was loving, the kind of guy you want your daughter to be with, and ultimately, she’s alive because of this, because he protected her,” Shellie Young said.
She said Blunk, a security guard, had served in the Navy and had recently filled out papers to reenlist with a goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. “To her, he was a hero anyway because he wanted to serve his country,” she said of her daughter, who was left with shrapnel wounds to her side. “He said that all the time: ‘I was born to serve my country.’”
Alexander J. Boik
Boik, 18, was planning to attend art and design school in the fall, and dreamed of becoming an art teacher. He went to “The Dark Knight” premiere with his girlfriend,who survived:
A friend, Jordan Crofter, described Boik as someone who “didn’t hold anything back. He was just his own person.”
“He was a ball of joy. He was never sad or depressed. He wanted everybody to be happy,” Crofter said.
The family said in a statement that the 18-year-old was loved by all who knew him and was dating “a beautiful young lady” who was with him at the theater and survived.
Crofter said Boik and his girlfriend made a “perfect couple,” and people expected them to get married.
“If he were still here, he’d try to make everyone have a positive outlook of the situation and not allow it to affect their outlook of life,” Crofter said.
A.J.’s high-school friends have set up a Facebook page to memorialize him.
Staff Sgt. Jesse Childress
Childress, 29, also lost his life protecting a friend and fellow Air Force servicemember:
When the alleged shooter, James Holmes, opened fire, Childress threw himself in front of a friend, Munirih Gravelly, an act she said saved her life.
“I feel really sorry … that he’s gone,” she told NBC4, fighting tears, “that none of us were able to at least hold his hand and look him in the eye while he passed.
“I lost a friend.”
Childress was a big comic-book fan and spent his Sundays cheering for the Broncos.His Air Force colleagues gathered to honor him this weekend:
“He was a huge part of our unit, and this is a terrible loss. The person that did this was an incredible coward,” Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Schwald said Saturday at the memorial site. She declined to give her first name.
