82nd Airborne Honors Fallen Paratrooper With an Announcement for His Wife
By Jenni Fink
October 10, 2017
WELCOME THE NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER OF THE 82nd!!!!! Christian Michelle Harris 💓💗💖💘💝💞💕. Chris left me my little miracle princess
Posted by Britt Harris on Thursday, October 5, 2017
In October, 2013, Specialist Christopher M. Harris joined the United States Army and after he completed his necessary training, he was assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
Unfortunately, on August 2, while on his first deployment to Afghanistan, the 25-year-old was killed, along with Sgt. Jonathon Hunter, when their patrol hit an improvised explosive device:
Posted by Britt Harris on Saturday, August 5, 2017
“Chris and Jon lived and died as warriors. They will always be a part of the legacy of the Devil Brigade and their memory lives on in the hearts and minds of their fellow Paratroopers,” Col. Toby Magsig said in a statement posted on the 82nd Airborne Facebook. “Our thoughts and prayers are centered on the families and loved ones of these two great Americans.”
Harris is survived by his wife, Britt, who he married in October 2016. While the loss of her husband is a devastation most people couldn't imagine, she told NBC News 12that the soldiers have been “phenomenal” and have “done everything they can to watch over me even from a distance.”
It's not only her they're watching over, either. Right after his death, Britt announced on Facebook that shortly before he died, the couple found out she was in the early weeks of a pregnancy with their only child.
Britt would have to wait another two months to discover the gender of her baby and just as they did after Harris's death, the 82nd Airborne continued to prove they would not only be there for her, but for her child, as well.
In a video posted to Facebook, soldiers in the 82nd Airborne stood under an American flag with confetti cannons. “My boy Harris knows we're gonna do it for him,” a soldier said. “We're gonna see what kind of baby he's gonna have. I don't know if it's a boy, a girl, a zebra, a unicorn, but we're gonna find out.”
On his count, the soldiers popped the cannons and pink confetti rained down as cheers and applause exploded.
“WELCOME THE NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER OF THE 82nd!!!!!” Britt captioned the video. “Chris left me my little miracle princess.”
Along with her child's gender, Britt revealed her daughter's name — an incredible homage to the person she lost and the one she gained — “Christian Michelle Harris.”