COCONINO, AZ, USA
U.S. Army
SSG, COMPANY A, 1ST BATTALION, 32D INFANTRY, 3 BCT, FORT DRUM, NY
BARGE MATAL, AFGHANISTAN 07/12/2009
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Eric Lindstrom, 27, lost his life in Operation Enduring Freedom on July 12, 2009 from wounds received in combat at Barg-e-Matal, Afghanistan. Sgt. Lindstrom proudly served with the 1/32nd infantry of the 10th Mountain Division out of Ft. Drum, New York.
Eric was born and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. He was active in the Boy Scouts and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He was also a member of the Federated Community Church and enjoyed playing Little League baseball while growing up. He loved to hike and camp and loved the ocean. He was a strong swimmer and sometimes would swim up to a mile when he got to visit the ocean. He was self-confident and knew who he was and what he wanted out of life.
Eric joined the Army in 1999 and completed basic training at Ft. Benning, Georgia, then spent two years in Schweinfurt, Germany with a mortar company before transferring to Ft. Polk, Louisiana. He was with the invasion into Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq in 2003.
Eric served as a police officer with the Flagstaff Police Department for 4 years before re-enlisting in the U. S. Army and being assigned to Ft. Drum. He believed in serving his community and his country and felt he could make a difference in the lives of those who did not have the freedom we enjoy in this country.
He married his wife, Tara, in July of 2007 and was a proud new father of identical twin daughters, Riley and Olivia, who were born two weeks after he deployed to Afghanistan. The Army sent him home since the babies were born 2 months early, and he was able to come home to be with them for two weeks while they were still in intensive care.
He loved his babies, even though he never got to spend time with them at home, and the guys in his platoon have told us that he had a wall of the tent plastered with baby pictures for all to admire and was known to have the guys all sit through a home video before watching a movie at the forward operating base. He had a wonderful sense of humor (rather dry) and was one of the most grounded and rational persons you could hope to meet. He loved animals and his cat and dog were very adoring of him, as was I. He was my only child and I miss him dearly though I am very proud of all that he accomplished in his short life.
We were told that he died saving two of his young soldiers (19 and 20 years old), and his men said he was tough, but always fair. They all admired and respected him and have been very good to keep in contact with us since his death.