R.I.P. - Cpl. Christopher G. Singer

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Cpl. Christopher G. Singer, 23, of Temecula, Calif., died Jan. 21 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

            For additional information news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.

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U.S. Marine Cpl. Christopher Singer, 23, a Chaparral High School graduate, died from injuries sustained in a firefight Saturday while serving in Afghanistan, family members said Monday.
Singer, a member of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Regiment, was shot while on patrol near Sangin, a dangerous province in southern Afghanistan, said Singer's uncle, Steve Welty. He was attended to by a medic and a corpsman at the scene. They were flying him to a hospital and he died on the operating table, Welty said.
Singer, a member of Chaparral High's class of 2007, joined the Marines shortly after graduation. Welty said Singer had long sought to be a member of the Corps. He could frequently be found wearing camouflage gear when he was growing up, and he used to play Marine with his friends. He also participated in Chaparral's Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program. From the time he was the littlest guy, he always wanted to be a Marine, Welty said. Singer, a Christian who loved working on antique engines with his grandfather, spent much of his early military career at Camp Pendleton and the base at Twentynine Palms, serving as a military police officer during that stint. After his recovery from a knee injury and his re-enlistment in August, he was deployed to Afghanistan in September.
Before leaving, Welty said, Singer left a message with his wife, Brooke Singer, the mother of their 2-year-old daughter, Briyana. He said, 'If I die, I don't want people to mourn me. I want people to know I did everything I wanted to do in life and died doing what I loved,' Welty said.
Brooke and Christopher Singer, the son of Marlene Shaw and Greg Singer, were married on Jan. 29, 2009. Singer was a football fan who listed allegiances to both the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers on his Facebook page. Welty, a Chargers fan, said that when the Patriots beat the Chargers, however, Singer would let him hear about it. Like many members of his generation, Singer played video games such as Halo and Call of Duty. Welty said the skills he picked up playing Call of Duty, in particular, came in handy when Singer was going through basic training in San Diego. He was one of the best in his group at shooting targets while on the move, Welty said.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Nathaniel Kiser, a former roommate and one of Singer's best friends, said he lived with Brooke and Christopher Singer at Camp Pendleton after returning from a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010. Like Singer, Kiser is a combat engineer, a role with the Corps that includes sweeping for mines, demolition, construction and a host of other jobs.
Kiser said he a got a chance to talk to Singer on the phone a couple of times during his deployment and he said it seemed his friend was really taking to field work, even though much of it is extremely dangerous. I love this. I love doing this stuff, he recalled Singer saying. During their time together on base, Kiser said he spent a lot of time with the Singers, playing Halo with Brooke and Christopher, rocking out to whatever was cranking on the radio and getting dressed up for nights on the town.

There also were quieter moments, he said. Sometimes, if one the friends had had a bad day, they would just go for a walk. We'd cheer each other up and stuff, he said. Although it felt good to share stories of the good times, Kiser said he was struck by the finality of those memories. We're not going to have him anymore, he said. Funeral arrangements have not been completed, but Welty said Singer will be buried at Riverside National Cemetery.
The family, which includes sister Jessica Shaw and brother Jordan Singer, also is working on setting up a trust for Briyana. Anyone interesting in contributing can send an email to fund4briyana@gmail.com
U.S. Marine Corps First Lt. Sin Carrano said Monday that Singer received the Marine Corps Good Conduct medal, Afghanistan Campaign medal, Global War on Terrorism Service medal and the National Defense Service medal.

(Call staff writer Aaron Claverie at 951-676-4315, ext. 2624. Like The Californian's Temecula Facebook page and follow The Californian's Temecula Twitter feed @Temecula_CAL to get breaking local news and top stories of the day. )

Posted in: 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, Afghanistan, fallen heros, Helmand Province, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine, Operation Enduring Freedom, U.S. Marine, United States Marine Corps