Christopher Speer

Speer enlisted in the United States Army in July 1992 and after initial training as a combat medic, was assigned to the Army Hospital at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, until 1994.[1] He received 18 Delta combat medic training at the Joint Special Operations University at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

Speer was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group upon completing training as a Special Forces medic in 1997. As part of the 1st SFOD-D (known as Delta Force and based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina), he deployed to Afghanistan in Spring 2002 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.[1]

Speer at Bagram being unloaded by the 396th Medical.

On July 27, 2002, Christopher Speer and a group of four other soldiers on reconnaissance patrol were injured during a firefight upon attacking a building in Khost Province, Afghanistan.[1] SFC Christopher Speer was part of a squad assigned the task of going through the ruins of the building after it had been destroyed.[7]

The injured Speer was evacuated by air to Bagram Air Force Base and then to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where he died on August 6, 2002.[1]

The incident received widespread attention as fifteen-year-old Toronto-born Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen with Egyptian and Palestinian ancestry, was captured and subsequently imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, accused of killing Speer.[8][9] Khadr was held without trial for 8 years. In October 2010, he pleaded guilty to, among other crimes, "murder in violation of the laws of war" for the killing of Speer. At that time, he said he had thrown the hand grenade which killed Speer in the firefight.[10][11]

The charges against Khadr were filed under the Military Commission Act of 2006 and considered under US law to be war crimes, though the act passed into law several years after Speer's death.[12] In 2013, Khadr filed a civil suit against the government of Canada, alleging that the government had breached his Charter rights. In the lawsuit, he claimed he had only signed the plea agreement because he believed it was the only way he could gain transfer from Guantanamo. In an affidavit filed in the proceedings, he said he had no memory of the firefight.[13][14]

Prior to his plea of guilty to Speer's death, Khadr became the focus of several legal disputes. On February 4, 2008, American officials accidentally released an unredacted version of testimony which—according to Khadr's lawyers—showed that Khadr was not responsible for Speer's death.[15] In January 2006 Colonel Morris Davis, Khadr's prosecutor, in statements to the press, said that Khadr owed his life to American medics who stepped over the dead body of their colleague to treat Khadr's wounds. Speer died from his wounds on August 6, 2002, at the age of 28.[16][17]

Speer was awarded the Soldier's Medal for risking his life to save two Afghan children who were trapped in a minefield on July 21, 2002, two weeks before his death.[6]

The infirmary at a special forces base in Kunar Province was named the "Christopher J. Speer Medical Clinic" in his memory.[1]

Speer's awards include:[19]

Personal decorations Soldier's Medal Bronze Star Medal with "V" device Purple Heart Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster Army Good Conduct Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 1 Campaign star Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal National Defense Service Medal NCO Professional Development Ribbon with award numeral 2 Army Service Ribbon

Other accoutrements Combat Medical Badge Parachutist Badge Air Assault Badge Military Free Fall Jumpmaster Badge Scuba Diver Badge Silver German Parachutist Badge Expert Marksmanship Badge with Rifle and Pistol Component Bar U.S Army Special Forces Distinctive unit insignia Special Forces Tab United States Army Special Operations Command Combat Service Identification Badge

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First Geneva Convention

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OC-1 CITF witness report

• Biographical Sketch at SOC.mil Archived
• Honor the fallen Archived from MilitaryCity
• SFC Christopher J. Speer Archived from Special Forces Association