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<p><em>Ian Patrick Weikel</em> was born on October 7, 1974 and grew up in Colorado Springs, CO, where he dreamed of one day being an Air Force pilot.</p>
<p>Many remember his dedication to athletics as he spent his formative years working hard to find success in various athletic endeavors. He was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and would go on to earn a varsity letter in baseball, football, and basketball while attending Fountain-Fort Carson High School.</p>
<p>At the same time, he was developing his leadership skills as he served as his class president in his freshman and sophomore years and student body vice president and president as a junior and senior, respectively.</p>
<p>He dedicated himself just as much to working for the betterment of his community. He helped organize several food drives in the area and led an effort to get his peers to take an anti-drug pledge in conjunction with their prom. Academically he was equally impressive, graduating third in his class in 1993. He was named “Mr. Trojan” for the 1992-93 school year. That same year the Colorado Springs Gazette named him as one of the “Best and Brightest Teenagers” in the area.</p>
<p>Ian received an appointment to attend West Point after high school. There he spent all four years in the Fourth Regiment as a member of H-4 and B-4. He chose business management as a major and participated in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. On the weekends, he continued his love of sports on the rugby pitch on Saturdays and demonstrated his dedication to service by teaching Sunday School on Sundays.</p>
<p>After graduation he attended the Armor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, KY, returning to West Point the following year to marry Wendy, a member of the Class of 1998, after her graduation.</p>
<p>They were initially stationed together at Fort Carson, CO, his hometown. There they both deployed to Bosnia as members of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in 2000. They returned from that deployment and transferred to the 10th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, TX and deployed in tandem to Iraq in 2003. During this deployment, Ian participated in Operation Red Dawn, the mission that found and captured Saddam Hussein.</p>
<p>Upon their return from Iraq, Ian and Wendy decided to have her leave the Army to focus on growing their family. Ian took command of A Troop, 7-10 Cavalry Squadron in June 2004. Ian and Wendy welcomed their son, Jonathan, in 2005. Their son’s middle name, Troy, means “foot soldier,” a nod to Ian’s chosen profession. Ian deployed shortly after his birth.</p>
<p>Ian expressed that he felt a calling to succeed in two roles in life. The first role as a father was to be put on hold until after his deployment, where he would work hard to succeed in the other role he treasured: commander.</p>
<p>In his role as a commander in a combat zone, Ian truly hit his stride. He was rated as first of 31 company commanders in the brigade, and he did it through exceptional leadership and intense care for every soldier in his troop. Ian found time to pray for the strength and safety of each of his soldiers by name on a regular basis. </p>
<p>Even amidst the fog of war, Ian found it in himself to focus on helping others. He encouraged a journalist embedded with his unit to start a drive to collect soccer balls and deliver thousands of them to the children of Iraq, so that even with the chaos going on all around them, the children could participate in sports the way Ian had.</p>
<p>Ian’s life was tragically cut short on April 18, 2006 when he died due to injuries sustained when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq. He is survived by his wife, Wendy, and his son, Jonathan, as well as his parents, Dave and Beth Weikel, and his younger brother, Chad. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart posthumously. Ian was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 60, Grave 8327.</p>
<p>He will be remembered by many as the confident, capable, and charming man that he was. Ian exuded confidence and a humbleness, despite his accomplishments, that made him imminently approachable. Those who knew him loved him and admired him. </p>
<p>In honor of Ian’s memory, the Fort Carson School District dedicated their new elementary school in his name on August 9, 2010. They state on their website, “Weikel Elementary will be a place of excellence, mission, and character. When you enter this school, may you not just think of a local son, a fallen soldier, but also a student who served his community and led by example.” </p>
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