Obituaries
In Memory of Samuel T. Watts, 20, Aug. 14, 1991-May 19, 2012
U.S. Army Specialist Samuel T. Watts died one year ago on Saturday, May 19, 2012 of wounds sustained while serving in Afghanistan.
One year ago on Saturday, May 19, 2012, United States Army Specialist Samuel Watts, a 20-year-old soldier from Wheaton died in Bethesda, MD, of wounds sustained from an explosive Apr. 25 in the Zharay District of the Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Defense.
He was born August 14, 1991 in Elmhurst to Thomas and Susan Watts.
He attended St. John Lutheran School and graduated from Wheaton North High School in 2010. He was an avid BMX biker, a student at Technology Center of DuPage in Addison in the Fire Science program. He hoped to serve as a fireman after his service in Afghanistan.
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He joined the Army in July 2010 as an Infantryman. He joined the 1-508th PIR in November 2010. This was his first deployment to Afghanistan, according to a release from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Sam Watts is survived by his parents, Thomas and Susan Watts; two sisters, Sarah and Abigail; a brother, Andrew; his paternal grandmother, Ruth; his maternal grandfather, Paul; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.
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"Sam was a really, really good guy and well loved in our community. We are so proud of what our son has done and are truly humbled by the outpouring of prayers and affection," Watts' mother Susan Watts said in a statement last May. "We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and support."
Capt. Mike Kelvington, Bravo Company Commander with 1-508th PIR said in a statement, "Sam was a guy you wanted on your team; he was a fighter... From being an expert on the M240 Range with his assigned weapon to defying the odds when all the doctors said he shouldn't have lived; this long, he fought all the way to the end."
Related:
- Remembering Samuel T. Watts on his 21st Birthday
- Soldier Honorably Transferred to Wheaton for Burial
- Visitation Tuesday for Wheaton Soldier Spc. Samuel Watts
- Mother of Wheaton Soldier: 'We Are So Proud of What Our Son Has Done'
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