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STEPHEN ANDREW CHILDERS, the son of Marion and Virginia Childers, was born in Alton, Illinois, on 14 March 1940. As a boy he was active in Boy Scouts, the Young Men's Christian Association, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Those who knew him found him to be an all-around person with an enthusiasm for living. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a love for good books, music, sports, animals, and people. This enthusiasm for living would last the rest of his life. He was graduated from Alton Senior High School in 1958. After attending Southern Illinois University for one year, he gained an appointment to West Point from Senator Paul H. Douglas. On the first Tuesday in July, 1959, he entered West Point with the Class of 1963.</p>
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At West Point Steve resumed his activities in swimming and fishing. He was a member of the swimming team for all four years and held the Academy record for the 200-yard breast stroke. Fishing was not a Corps squad activity, so Steve spent many mornings at Lusk Reservoir before reveille.</p>
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After a day of fishing or swimming Steve would get hungry for a little extra nourishment. When they took peanut butter from the mess hall tables, he arranged for his own supply. He fastened a lid from a peanut butter jar to the underside of his dining table. As he would use up one jar, he would simply replace it with another. Everything worked fine until an energetic waiter cleaned underneath the table.</p>
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Steve's bright spot at West Point was Colonel Jordan's home. Colonel Jordan opened his home to the Mormon cadets, and Steve spent a lot of time there, playing with the children or just relaxing.</p>
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Steve was a deeply religious person. As an Elder in the Mormon Church he became the group leader for the Mormon cadets during his last year at West Point. His religious ideals and sincerity are so beautifully expressed in his own writings that I would like to include them here: Give me a God to believe and confide in, give me family and friends to love, give me wisdom and intelligence that might be useful, give me hope for a better world, give me strength to hold to my convictions, give me humility to admit when I'm wrong, give me a pure heart and an honest mind that I might have inner peace, and give me a strong body to go about my life seeking these things. If I have the things I have named and nothing else, I am the richest and most fortunate of all men. I am indeed blessed. If I do not have these things, though I own the world and the people therein, I am but a poor slave. If I place material things before the spiritual side of life, my existence will be shallow.</p>
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If he had a weakness, it was '‘fixing’ his classmates “up” with dates. We always “dragged D.”</p>
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After graduation on 5 June 1963, Steve went through the normal cycle of Airborne, Ranger, and Infantry school and finally was ordered to Germany. He had a good two years in Germany, primarily because he went out of his way to meet the German people. This was especially true at church, where he was something of a treat for the young people. His attempts at speaking the language provided many a good joke, but his wit and charm endeared him to all. He also became interested in a certain young lady. But before things could get serious, as always, duty called, and he was sent back to the United States prior to being sent to South Vietnam.</p>
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After being commanding officer of a "combat-ready Infantry company" he did not think much of duty at Fort Ord. He volunteered to go to Vietnam earlier than scheduled, so after a brief tour at the Jungle Warfare School he was sent to Vietnam on Labor Day 1966.</p>
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Steve did not hate the North Vietnamese or anyone else for that matter, but he figured that we had a duty to be over there and wanted to be a part of it. At first he was a communications officer, but by November he was made commanding officer of Company C, 1st Battalion, 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. The word soon got around that the new company commander did not drink or smoke, nor would he put up with some livings that were going on. His battalion commander related that an "almost miraculous change” took place in the company. The men responded to him with esprit and loyalty. They admired him for his personal integrity and principles, and “in the end," one of them wrote, "he did just what all of us knew he would."</p>
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On 19 January 1967, Steve’s company was searching the Honnoc Mountains for elements of the North Vietnamese Army as part of Operation Thayer. One of his patrols saw a figure in a green uniform dart by and disappear into a cave in the mountains. Patrol members further reported hearing the voices of women and children in the cave complex. Once inside this network of caverns, Steve reported that "There are women and children in here." He then turned on his flashlight to get a better look at them and had only an instant to shout a warning to the men following him. A rifle emerged from behind the heads of the women, and a volley of shots was fired. One bullet pierced Steve's forehead, killing him instantly. His concern for the safety of women and children had cost him his life.</p>
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His First Sergeant related: “As always Captain Stephen Childers led the search party because he was that kind of leader. He would never ask any man to do anything he would not do himself. Everything was a challenge to him. He had the respect many leaders strive to attain, but to Steve it came natural. Charlie company would have done anything for him. His loss was a thunderous blow to every last man."</p>
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His body was recovered and sent back home. On 28 January he was buried in Upper Alton Cemetery with full military honors.</p>
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Letters of sympathy arrived from all over the world paying tribute to Steve. One of his battalion commanders said: “Steve was so completely honest and forthright about everything, There was no one in my entire battalion who could approach him with any nearness at all in his devotion to his God and Country.”</p>
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A Catholic chaplain friend wrote of him:</p>
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To know Steve was a privilege, to work with him a pleasure.</p>
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How do you measure a man? By what he is or what he does?</p>
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By the way he lives, or the example he gives? By the honors he receives or the causes he serves?</p>
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By what is in his heart or the place he occupies in the hearts of others? But I maintain that it makes no difference what standard you apply or what measure you use...Steve Childers stood tall on every count. For his valor he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. The Republic of Vietnam awarded him the National Order Medal, Fifth Class, and the Gallantry Cross with Palm.</p>
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It is only fitting that this Memorial end with Steve’s testimony of his faith in God:</p>
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Being of sound mind and body I bear final witness of the mercies and glory of God the Father and of his Beloved Son our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, God lives and has blessed me through the voice of the Holy Spirit within me of this fact Our Lord has blessed me with choice parents and the opportunity of knowing and loving many of the most wonderful spirits to come to this earth, I testify that I have been blessed beyond my ability to receive and far more than I could hope to be worthy. I bear witness to the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of the devine call of Jesus Christ and of the divinity of the mission of the church today. May all the world believe and be saved through their faith in the Lord.</p>
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Now the day is over for me. I go for a brief sleep to rise early on the morrow to greet my Lord humble in my unworthiness and confident of mercy and justice at the hand of that Holy One. May God bless all of you who remain behind to remain steadfast and may peace and joy surround you through His love until He once again unites us in the heavens.</p>
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<em>Donald B. Reid, A friend and classmate</em></p>