Obituary

Bradley Kritzer / Clearfield County soldier, 19, killed in Iraq

Saturday, May 08, 2004

By Gary Rotstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bradley Kritzer, while proud to be in the Army, saw it as an opportunity to obtain an education that would help him turn his love for the outdoors into a career.

The 19-year-old native of southern Clearfield County wanted to work for the Pennsylvania Game Commission or a similar organization after going to school, with tuition paid for by the Army. That ambition ended Wednesday in an explosion in Iraq.

"We are extremely proud. He gave the ultimate sacrifice," said the private's grandmother, Blanche Kitchen, who lives near the slain soldier's parents in the countryside around Irvona, a borough of 680 residents.

She said Mr. Kritzer, the son of Roger and Sharon Kritzer, enlisted last year after graduating from Moshannon Valley High School. He trained to work on missile launching systems, but she said he was needed as a foot soldier in Iraq, where he arrived March 13.

His unit was under fire within three weeks, Kitchen said. A friend died in a grenade attack, but Mr. Kritzer didn't complain about conditions in phone calls to his family. He had been happy to have photographs taken in uniform when home for a visit at Christmas time.

Relatives shipped him regular packages of snacks, phone cards and other useful items he shared with buddies.

Carrying a rifle might have seemed familiar to a young man who had grown up hunting with his father, but in hostile, desert surroundings, there were things about the quiet Pennsylvania lifestyle that he missed.

"A week ago Saturday morning, he called and said, 'It's trout season, Grandma, I wish I was able to be back home,' and we just told him to watch your back," Kitchen said. "He loved to go turkey and deer hunting, and if it were up to him, he would have gone fishing every day of the week."

Mr. Kritzer's parents both work at area hospitals, so Kitchen was the one who received a visit from military personnel Thursday morning informing the family of his death. She was told that he and three colleagues were driving back to their camp near Fallujah after conducting a raid. He and another soldier died in an explosion on the road set by remote control. The two others were severely wounded.

"We've lost someone who had a lot of heart," said Jack Cunning, the principal of his high school. "He was a good student, a quiet student. He was a friend to everyone and well-liked by the student body."

Arrangements are by the Gibbons Funeral Home in Coalport.

First published on May 8, 2004 at 12:00 am4209
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Army Pfc, 1st Battalion, 21st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
Fort Hood, Texas.

Died in Baghdad, Iraq, when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.

From Sharon Kritzer 09/01/04:

Hello, My name is Sharon Kritzer, I'm the mother of PFC Bradley G. Kritzer. I must tell you that he was the best son and soldier that a Mom and Dad could want. He is truly an American Hero. Thank you for having his page on the web to honor our soldiers. Our home town is working on naming a bridge after Bradley. Thought you might like looking at the site. Thank you for all that you do for out soldiers.4210
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Pfc. Bradley G. Kritzer grew up with a rifle in hand, hunting turkey and deer with his father and going fishing every chance he got. But carrying a rifle in hostile, desert surroundings made him long for home. "He called and said, 'It's trout season, Grandma, I wish I was able to be back home,'" said his grandmother, Blanche Kitchen. "We just told him to watch your back."

Kritzer, 18, of Irvona, Pa., was killed May 5 along with another soldier when their Humvee hit an improvised explosive device in Baghdad. Kritzer joined the Army with another goal in mind: college. He hoped to turn his love of the outdoors into a career with a state hunting agency. In March, he landed in Iraq. "We are extremely proud," Kitchen said. "He gave the ultimate sacrifice."4211

See Messages of Remembrance at the following link:
http://www.fallenheroesmemorial.com/oif/profiles/kritzerbradleyg.html



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