Lieutenant Christopher E. Mosko, 28, Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal, of San Diego, CA, gave his life in Afghanistan on April 26, 2012.

Chris lived many places in his short life; Connecticut, Delaware, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, and finally California. Chris held a special place in his heart for all of these.  His high school soccer coach, Marty Hendricks, in Eau Claire remembers, “He was fearless. He was a team captain for both us and Eau Claire Memorial. … Chris could have done anything he wanted, but he had a passion for the military and followed that dream.” After high school, Chris pursued that dream in the NROTC program at Drexel University and was soon a devote Phillies and Eagles fan. Chris graduated from Drexel with honors in 2007 and quickly took his place among the elite at the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) School in Florida where he strove to be at the top of his class and was rewarded with his choice of orders to San Diego, CA in 2008.

Chris hit the ground running in San Diego and was immediately challenged with jobs and positions well above his pay grade and yet he never faltered and always got the mission accomplished. In October 2009 Chris married his wife, Amanda, and shortly thereafter left for his first deployment on the USS Carl Vinson. While aboard the Vinson, Haiti was rocked by a catastrophic earthquake; Chris and his platoon were among the first to arrive and assist in the humanitarian relief. He also spent time on this deployment teaching and building international relationships with several Special Forces units from foreign countries.

Chris wasn’t home long before he started preparing for his next deployment as the Platoon Commander to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, Afghanistan augmenting Seal Team 3 and ODA 3421. Chris left for Afghanistan 3 days after Christmas in 2011 and was killed 4 months later while conducting combat operations in Ghazni, Afghanistan. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

He is survived by his wife, Amanda Mosko, his parents, John and Gayle Mosko, and his sister, Meredith. Chris was a loving and caring husband, brag-worthy son and proud older brother. His command described him as a personable and outstanding leader who went out of his way to support his men. “Chris was kind of like the glue for everyone’s friendships,” his friend Cpt Chase Derbin says. “He was always the decision maker for everyone. He was like the dad in the family. Everyone just sort of gravitated toward that.” Another friend, LT Andrew Petry agrees, “Mosko was in a class of his own. No matter what, you could always count on him. If you needed something, he would drop what he was doing and help you out,”

LT Mosko died alongside 2 other heroes, SSgt Brandon Eggleston and SSgt Dick Alson Lee, and a working dog, Fibi. All are greatly missed by their family and friends.

In 2013, Chris’ wife, Amanda, participated in the Travis Manion Foundation’s Survivor Summit Expedition in Granby, Colorado. Amanda and twelve other surviving wives, fiancés and girlfriends carried on the legacy of their fallen hero as they experienced the healing power of the mountains. Amanda also participated in the 2014 Survivor Summit Expedition in Lima, Peru in July.