Fallen O.C. soldier returns home
Fallen O.C. soldier returns home
LOS ALAMITOS – Family members Sunday welcomed home the remains of Private First Class Christian Sannicolas, an Army paratrooper killed in Afghanistan on April 28.
Family members met the casket at Los Alamitos Army Airfield, along with veterans and supporters from the Patriot Guard Riders. The volunteer motorcycle honor guard then followed the fallen soldier and his family to the mortuary.
Sannicolas, 20, died in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, from injuries after his vehicle met with an improvised explosive device while on patrol. The Anaheim resident was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team with the 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. On Thursday, his fellow paratroopers honored him with a memorial service at Forward Operating Base Muqor.
Sannicolas graduated from Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton in 2009. He is survived by his mother, Deanna Howard of Fullerton.
Childhood friend Johnny Nguyen wrote on tumblr.com that he'd remember Sannicolas' ability to make people laugh and his strength to stand up for what he believed in.
"He was the only person I knew that wasn't scared of anything," Nguyen wrote. "He had so much audacity, he never backed down from anyone or any fight."
Contact the writer: ckoerner@ocregister.com or 949-454-7309
