Staff Sergeant Ryan Eugene Haupt

1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO
US Army

Staff Sergeant Haupt's Act of Heroism

SSG Ryan E. Haupt, age 24, was killed on October 17, 2006. He was among three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their convoy vehicle in Baqubah, about 30 miles northeast of Baghdad. He had previous close calls before this, and we thought he had made it. His tour was over and he was scheduled to be on his way home 3 days later. Ryan was to be one of the first groups from his battalion to be home by October 29th, 2006. He never made it back to his earthly home, but went home with our Lord. He was actually escorting his unit’s equipment when the bomb exploded.

My Hero

My only son, Ryan, was a remarkable young man who had (I am finding out) touched so many lives and overcame so many obstacles. He was a fun loving guy; a prankster and jokester; loved to make people laugh. He was always positive and uplifting even when things were not going the best. The soldiers under him looked up to him and respected him. He got their respect by the way he treated them. He gave them encouragement and strength to make it through. He was a jokester and loved to have fun and laugh. That's what his Sniper squads remember most about him. He would always do something to make life entertaining. He would never let you be sad and would always make you smile. Ryan loved the army and his job and firmly believed in what he was doing over there and saw the results. He was a dedicated and loyal soldier. Ryan gave his life to make it a better world for everyone. He was fighting not only for our freedom, but also for the freedom of the people of Iraq. He was my son, my friend and my hero. There will be a hole in my heart that will never be filled until that day when I can see him and hold him again in God's new world.

Letters

Army Staff Sergeant Ryan E Haupt was ending his one year deployment in Iraq, when he was killed on October 17th, 2006, while escorting a convoy in Baqubah, Iraq. He had previous close calls before this, but his tour was over and he was scheduled to be on his way home the next day. He was actually escorting his unit’s equipment when his Humvee hit an IED. Along with him, two of his fellow soldiers were killed and one was injured.

Ryan was a member of the Army's elite sniper section assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colorado. He was an expert marksman. And was one of the best. Ryan was squad leader over two sniper teams. His sniper squads were responsible for making roads safer in their area of Iraq. He had been serving in the U.S. Army for 6 1/2 years.

He was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star posthumously, and had also received the following medals and awards: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, 2 Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon. He also received the Sniper patch and the Manchu Mile belt buckle.

MY HERO

Ryan was born in Pasadena, California on June 6, 1982. He was 24 years old when he was taken from us. Ryan is my only son. He has one older sister and 2 younger sisters. Ryan spent his early life in Southern California: Pasadena, Monrovia (where I lived) and North Hollywood (where his father lived). In his young teen years, he went back and forth between North Hollywood, CA and Madisonville, TN. He moved to Phoenix, AZ when he was 15 and enlisted in the Army when he was 17.

Ryan’s Army career started in Ft. Benning, GA, where he went through basic training and graduated September 9, 2000 when he was 18 years old. He went from there to Fort Carson, Colorado and was stationed there until his death. He spent a tour serving in South Korea from 2002 to 2003. When he returned to Fort Carson, he attended Sniper School and became a great marksman. Ryan was deployed to Iraq in November of 2005 for his first deployment and that’s where his physical life ended. The last times I spent with my son was in the summer of 2005.

Ryan Haupt was a remarkable young man who had (I am finding out) touched so many lives and overcame so many obstacles. He was a fun loving guy; a prankster and jokester; loved to make people laugh. He was always positive and uplifting even when things were not going the best. The soldiers under him looked up to him and respected him. He got their respect by the way he treated them. He gave them encouragement and strength to make it through. That's what his Sniper squads remember most about him. He would always do something to make life entertaining. He would never let you be sad and would always make you smile. Ryan loved the army and his job and firmly believed in what he was doing over there. One of the things he enjoyed doing while serving in Iraq was going out on humanitarian missions. His squads would go out to schools and spend time with the Iraqi children, passing out school supplies and playing soccer. I have several pictures of him with the children, and the children are all happy and smiling. They are very precious pictures. He was a dedicated and loyal soldier. Ryan and I would communicate using Yahoo instant messenger. I was able to save some of our conversations and would like to share portions of them.

March 4,2006
demife46: So are you being affected by all the unrest that's going on?
theshizznit69692000: not so much
theshizznit69692000: I killed two guys on my last mission, so i'm deffinetly not messing around
demife46: Is that your first kill?
theshizznit69692000: yea
demife46: So is it bothering you at all? just knowing that you killed somebody?
theshizznit69692000: No, they have been putting bombs on a strech of road hitting our convoys for the last two years
theshizznit69692000: so we figured out how they were doing it and set a sniper position in the desert ond got them
demife46: Do you ever get into battles or is it just sneaking up on them type things?
theshizznit69692000: Ive been in a few gun battles.
theshizznit69692000: most of the missions we do are very covert
theshizznit69692000: I will wear civilain cloths somtimes
theshizznit69692000: just depends

July 8, 2006
theshizznit69692000: tell tifany that I got ambushed on her birthday and hit a road side bomb
demife46: Are you serious?
theshizznit69692000: yea and im alive so tell her happy birthday for me
demife46: Did you get hurt????
theshizznit69692000: nope
theshizznit69692000: our other truck hit two bomb in with in like 15 seconds
theshizznit69692000: everyone is ok but they tried to kill us again
demife46: she said that's the best birthday present she ever got and to stay that way!!!

These conversations show what kind of attitude and commitment he had to his job. He loved what he did and I am so proud of him.

Ryan, you are missed and loved from the deepest part of my heart. You were the man I always hoped and prayed you would be. You loved and enjoyed life so much and touched so many people with your loving, caring and giving personality. You were always so positive and happy that you lifted everyone up around you. Remembering and thinking about you puts a smile on my face. You've made this mother very proud.
Son, you will be forever in my heart and mind......until I see you again........ I love you.