Posted on 03/25/2003 6:46:46 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
Even as a Moravian College student, Christopher Scott Seifert wore the haircut of a military man.
"He knew his path," said history prof Rosalind Remer, who taught Seifert about America's role in past wars.
The Williams Township, PA native, a captain in the Army's 101st Airborne Division, was killed Sunday in Kuwait after another soldier rolled a grenade into the tents where he was sleeping, then opened fire as Seifert and others emerged from their quarters.
Seifert died of a gunshot wound to the back.
"What's really tragic is that Chris didn't die fighting for his country, he died at hands of a fellow soldier. He's the kind of person who probably thought about what it would be like to die in combat," Remer said.
"But I can't imagine he would have thought of something like this happening ... It's appalling."
Seifert's death brought a faraway war into classrooms at Wilson Area High School where teachers explained the attack to students. Seifert graduated from Wilson in 1993.
"It's kind of sad to think that could happen to someone that went to our school," said Devona Phillips, a 16-year-old sophomore from West Easton.
Chrissy Counterman, 16, of Wilson Borough, said the news hit her family hard because her brother will be deployed to the Middle East after basic training in Missouri.
"Of course he's a big, brave, courageous guy, but I know he's scared," the high school junior said of her big brother.
At Amanda Mimlitsch's Wilson Borough home, television news broadcasts of the war are always turned on despite her parents' worries about their 23-year-old son, Kenneth Mimlitsch.
"I'm scared because my brother's in Kuwait," the 15-year-old student said. "He just went there a week ago from Japan."
Wilson Area High School Principal John Martuscelli said the mood at the high school was "somber" and "quieter than usual" Monday.
"The war's been going on for a few days. Now the war hit home," he said.
Newspapers with stories of Seifert's fate were strewn on a table outside the high school's main office Monday.
In addition to lowering the flag to half staff, the high school community observed a moment of silence in his memory.
"We're going to continue on with things as much as normal," Martuscelli said. Counselors are available to help students and faculty cope with the loss.
Many teachers who knew Seifert when he was a student thought talking publicly about the popular boy they remember would be too emotional to bear, Martuscelli said.
"He was very, very well-liked by students and faculty alike," Martuscelli said.
Flipping through a yearbook from Seifert's graduation year, Martuscelli rattled off a string of his activities -- jazz band,, marching band, concert band, cross country, track, student council, National Honor Society, ski club, ecology club, newspaper, new student guide club, peer helpers and drama club.
The tight-knit school district graduated many students who stayed in the area for college and now work at the high school.
Mike Hineline, who came home to take a job teaching math at the high school, said a photograph of Seifert in a theater production hangs in the school's second-floor rotunda.
"He was always a smiling kind of guy. You never remember him not happy; he was always joking around," said Hineline, 27, who was a year behind Seifert in school. "He's one of those people you got along with."
Remer, who taught Seifert in three history classes, said she knew Seifert and his wife, Theresa Flowers-Seifert, when they were dating.
"They were the kind of people that when you heard they were together, you thought, 'That's a perfect couple,'" Remer said.
Although Seifert was determined to serve his country, Remer said, he was a "gentle soul."
"He was really human -- and open-minded; he wasn't dogmatic," she said. "And he was very interested in learning."
As the United States prepared for war against Iraq, Remer said, she read in Moravian's alumni magazine that the couple had a baby.
Details of a memorial service at Moravian College are pending, Remer said.
Seifert, a longtime member of Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, attended services with his family, the Rev. Douglas W. Caldwell and the Rev. Carol A. Reifinger said in a prepared statement.
"Even though his military responsibilities separated him from home, whenever he was able to be with us, he worshipped with us, most recently on Christmas Eve," the pastors said.
A handful of students on campus and in the Haupert Union at Moravian College reported hearing little conversation Monday about Seifert, who graduated from the school nearly six years ago.
Students said they heard or read news accounts of the 1997 alumnus. Others said they were informed about his death by faculty members who may have taught Seifert or were at the school when he attended Moravian.
Jamie Marks, a junior from Emmaus, said talk among students was limited and that a few teachers mentioned Seifert in class.
But hearing that a student from Moravian died in Kuwait brought the war a bit closer to home, Marks said.
"Personally, I know it did for me," she said. "I really feel for the family."
Sitting outside the Herman Collier Hall of Science, Dan Gorman, a senior from Saylorsburg, said he is a member of Seifert's fraternity, Delta Tau Delta.
He learned about Seifert's death Sunday night and like other students, reported little conversation on campus.
"Maybe it just hasn't come up as a big issue yet," Gorman said. "It just happened (Sunday) night."
But most in the Moravian community know what happened, and Gorman said he spoke Monday to his fraternity's adviser about Seifert.
"It's just interesting to see how the impact of something that happened thousands and thousands of miles away can affect Bethlehem, Pa.," Gorman said.
The fraternity is working to organize a memorial service in conjunction with the college and hopes to contact other alumni who may have known Seifert, Gorman said.
The college planted a memorial tree on campus following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and perhaps a similar gesture for Seifert could be made, Gorman said.
"We definitely want to make the whole campus aware," he said.
Director of Public Relations Michael Wilson said the college is in the process of planning a memorial service. School officials want to talk to Seifert's family to find out what they think would be appropriate and hope to begin solidifying plans today, he said.
In the interim, the college released a campus-wide e-mail to faculty and staff, Wilson said.
Robert Stinson is a history professor at Moravian who served as Seifert's academic adviser. He also taught the history major on two separate occasions.
Stinson described Seifert as a dedicated student and a "fairly reserved fellow who had a wonderful smile and demeanor."
Seifert had considered becoming a teacher before deciding on a career in the military, Stinson said.
As an adviser and professor, Stinson said he knew little of Seifert's personal life, but was not surprised to hear that he volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
"It fits his character," Stinson said. "He was a very sincere young man. It fit his giving character."
There were a number of quiet conversations over lunch and coffee Monday among faculty, Stinson said. He and others talked about having Seifert in class and what they remember about him.
Stinson remembers Seifert's work ethic in the classroom and that he was a member of the college's 26 Points.
26 Points was a group of the college's best students who welcomed important guests to campus and presented the school's best face, Stinson said.
"That (Seifert) was a member of that group tells you something about him," Stinson said.
The Seifert home in Williams Township was quiet Monday. Onlookers reported that family members left early in the day.
The only activity Monday was about a half-dozen flower deliveries and a concerned neighbor who dropped off some food for the family. A woman stopped at the house briefly Monday night to place flowers on a stone wall at the edge of the road.
The news of Seifert's death focused the media spotlight on the home as a small army of television news vans parked in the grass across the street.
Camera crews from at least five Philadelphia and two Harrisburg television stations waited to catch any activity at the home.
Reporter s Ed Sieger and Jenna Portnoy can be reached at 610-258-7171.
Islam at work in America.
Local residents here are outraged.
I'm hammering down the carpet tacks now so it won't be swept under the rug. It may be up to us to keep this story at the forefront. I will if you will.
He did die fighting for his country ... and he did die in combat.
His killer was an enemy fifth columnist, a traitor in the uniform of a U.S. soldier. His killer should be given a quick military tribunal there in Kuwait and then summarily executed.
The Captain was doing his job in a war zone when he was attacked by the enemy. God rest his soul, and God comfort hos loved ones.
My daughter's fiance said last night that Chris Seifert was a great guy and was a friend of his brother.
These people understand nothing but force.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.