May he be forever remembered!

Army Cpl. Peter J. Courcy

Died February 2009 Serving in Operation Enduring Freedom

22, of Frisco, Texas; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 10 in Salerno, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

From an article by Chris Smith of The Leaf-Chronicle

Two 101st Airborne Division soldiers died Tuesday when an improvised explosive device exploded near their vehicle in Salerno, Afghanistan.

Spc. Peter J. Courcy, 22, of Frisco, Texas, and Pfc. Jason R. Watson, 19, of Many, La., died in Salerno from their injuries, according to a news release Thursday from the Department of Defense.

The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Campbell.

According to a Fort Campbell media release, Courcy was an infantryman who entered the Army in July 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in March 2007. His awards and decorations include: the Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Air Assault Badge; Parachutist Badge and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

Courcy is survived by his wife, Mara, of Colony, Texas; son, Anthony Luke, of Frisco, Texas; mother and step-father, Mary and Christopher Bush, of Frisco, Texas; and father, Jon Mitchell.

From The Associated Press

Peter J. Courcy’s best friend, Otto Bauer, laughed as he remembered meeting Peter in 2001 on a school bus.

“He was one of a kind, and we just hit it off right away and quickly became close,” Bauer said. “He was always a goofy kid and had a strong personality.”

Courcy, 22, of Frisco, Texas, was killed Feb. 10 by a suicide car bomb in Salerno. He was assigned to Fort Campbell.

Courcy’s former principal remembers his upbeat presence and fervor for life. “He was a good student, but he was an even better person,” Rick Burnett said. “That was reflective in the fact that he served his country.”

After graduating in 2004, he played amateur hockey for the Dallas Ice Hawks while taking classes at community colleges until enlisting in 2006.

“We always knew that’s what he wanted and needed,” said his father, Chris. “He needed to be in the Army just as much as the Army needed him, and he thrived there.”

He was a Dallas Cowboys nut and signed on for another five years of service, hoping to join the Special Forces.