Family Remembers Fallen Marine

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Story Published: Feb 8, 2007 at 6:38 PM PST

By Molly Kelleher

Sergeant Travis Pfister of Richland died Wednesday when his Helicopter crashed near Baghdad.

Pfister graduated from Hanford High in 1997. At his father's house Thursday, people gathered, dropping off a lot of food and talking about a lot of memories.

Before he was Sergeant Pfister, he was just Travis around his Richland house.

Travis liked fishing in the stream out back. He spent hours four wheeling on the family farm in Pasco. He was an outdoor kid with a big smile and a signature sense of humor.

"He was the kind of guy was a jokster and kept every body's spirits up," said Travis' dad Richard Pfister. "You think you are pretty stable then you see pictures, but you just deal with it and be supportive all boys over there. We are not the only family who lost some one."

The 27-year-old served as the helicopter crew chief as a medivac for hundreds of soldiers in and around Baghdad. The kind of Marine to sign up for just about any mission.

"He was first to jump up when the bell rung, it made his wife mad kept volunteering for missions."

Travis was supposed to come home in 27 days. Now this family planning a welcome home party, plans a funeral instead.

"I think you can only dodge a bullet so many times. He was doing what he wanted to do and that's what counted."

The family is working out details for a memorial service in the Tri-Cities.

Pfister's wife, also a Marine, will flying to Washington D.C. to collect her husband's ashes. A full military funeral will be held in San Diego.

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