Valparaiso University honors student killed in war

VALPARAISO, Ind. — Valparaiso University will hold a memorial service for a student who took leave from his studies and was killed in Afghanistan while serving with an Indiana-based National Guard unit.

Twenty-year-old Spc. Christopher A. Patterson of Aurora, Ill., and three other members of the Valparaiso-based 713th Engineering Company were killed Jan. 6 in an explosion in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan. Patterson was a sophomore music education major who took leave from his studies in the fall.

University President Mark Heckler says Patterson embodied the spirit of service and thoughtful leadership that represents the students who attend the 4,000-student school in northwest Indiana.

The service will be held Feb. 12 in the Chapel of the Resurrection and will include remembrances by fellow students and remarks from Heckler.