Chris Peer - HC-3, HC-11 San Diego

Christian Hescock and I attended FRAC for 46's in SD with HC-3 and later sea duty for HC-11.
"Hescock" as we all knew him was a real awesome guy. Always optimistic and lighthearted! He made it all seem so easy, school, SAR, the NAVY, etc. He always had a witty comment, and was always counted on to lighten up any situation. He was kind, professional, and well respected.

God Bless you all,

Chris Peer

Apologies

The pictures mysteriously disappeared and I lost my hard drive on my laptop which contained all the pictures that were sent to me. I will repost them when I get my hard drive back or when people can resend them. Thank you.

Shaun

Sergio Lopez - Captain, US ARMY - HC-11

Shaun,

I served with Christian while stationed in HC-11 in 1998. He was one of the smartest people I have ever known. He used to come inside the PR shop and while getting his flight gear, he would spend some time chatting with me. He was selected to the very competitive Seaman to Admiral program a year before me and I always hoped that we would serve again together. My sincere condolences to you and his family. The navy has lost one of its true warriors.

Sergio Lopez
Captain, US ARMY

Graveside

Ben & Kristin Dunlap, Friend - US Marine

Dear Shaun,
My name is Ben Dunlap. My wife, Kristin, and I met Christian and Ruth in 2003 while Christian was attending schooling in Pensacola. We were recently told that Christian was killed. Kristin and I were fortunate to have met Christian while he was stationed here. We attended his graduation (& the celebration dinner afterwards) and were impressed how he was the senior man and the leader of his graduating class. At the time, I was two years out of the Marine Corps and considering trying to lose the spare tire from all the chocolate cake I ate since getting out and going back in to become a pilot. Although the career move didn't work out for me, I remember Christian talking to me about what Navy aviation was all about and the steps one has to take to be successful. He, Ruth, Kristin and I were able to get together a few times as well at each other's houses, playing video games (online plane shoot-em ups) and watching movies. Of the very few moments I was able to have experienced with Christian, I just had the overall feeling of what a great guy he was--easygoing, warm, willing to take the time (and the shirt off his back) to help you out if you needed it. We express our sincere condolences to you, to Ruth and to your whole family. We will continue to pray for you and yours as you grieve. We are comforted with the knowledge that Christian is having a beautiful day today with his Savior; Kristin and I very much look forward to seeing him again.

Sincerely,
Ben and Kristin Dunlap

AW2(AW/NAC) Angel M. Gracia, US Navy - HSC 25

Mr. Hescock,

I apologize for the tardiness of this email. From the first day I met your brother, I knew he was a man that was very respected just for his genuine character and caring heart. I deployed with him on the USNS Shasta and the USNS Mercy. He tried to sway me to go STA-21, but I never thought I would make it b/c I measured myself against your brother. I have finally decided to give it a try. God willing, I will be submitting an application for next year's board. I always wondered how a great person came to be. I was able see that through the letters of your parents and yourself read during his memorial. You all did a great job in rearing a wonderful person. Your brother is sorely missed. God bless you all. You are in our prayers.

I'll go through my hard drive and continue to send more pics.

V/R
AW2(AW/NAC) Angel M. Gracia
Training PO
CBR Program Manager
HSC-25 Island KnightsAndersen AFB, Guam

Yvette Gauna, Friend

Hello Shaun,

I hope you are doing well. I took some time today to go through the website you put together for Christian. The first time I just glanced, anticipating it would be difficult to get through. But what an awesome memorial you created! It was beautiful, the tribute letter was inspiring and the music was perfect. It was incredibly uplifting, moving and showcased to perfection what his life was all about and how he touched everyone he knew. Shaun, that you gave everyone a place to express how they felt, and allowed them to grieve, during your time of grief, is a true expression of your love for your brother, and I hope it will give you the comfort you need.

As I read the messages, so many great memories of him came flooding back. One in particular came back and made me laugh through tears, and prompted me to write...when we had that hair-brained scheme to open a paintball field. Remember that one? We were both fired up to quit our jobs and be millionaires..and Christian could get me fired up like no one else I knew! What was I thinking? Must have been the endorphins and pain from playing paintball for 12 hours straight (might be a slight exaggeration). Then came the Shaun, cold water reality check..So why would you need a plan or insurance, or financing for paintballing? Thanks for that, right then I realized who the logical one in the family was LOL.

Through the years of phone calls and emails a handful of topics we always seemed to cover come to mind :
Politics (he republican, me independent/leaning to the left) so you can understand the length of our conversations, and the bantering that went on.
Yankees and his dislike of them
Our lives
But more importantly his love and concern for you (Owen, as he fondly and lovingly referred to you, and I grew to know you as.. I can explain if you ever want to know) and of course your mom, who he adored.

I hardly know you Shaun (yet feel like I do through countless conversations) and I would be remiss in not letting you know how much Christian loved, admired and respected you. He talked often of what you meant in his life. I absolutely loved his "Owen" stories as I like to refer to them. Some were hysterically funny, some shocking (I always reminded him there were 3 sides to every story), but always entertaining and definitely animated, as you know he could make them. He was very open about the challenges you both faced growing up and how it affected him. Having you as a brother to look up to helped to create the awesome man that he became. I hope he expressed that to you, because as a sibling myself, we often take for granted our relationships and don't let them know how much we love and are inspired by them. As you expressed, I will try and live my life to the fullest with passion, love, fun, inspiration, honor, loyalty and pride. A tall order, I know, but the least I can do to learn from, honor, and make sense of why his journey ended so soon. I will miss him the rest of my life.

Please know that I extend to you or your mom, what I did with Christian...that if he ever needed anything I would always be there just a phone call or email away. If you or your mom ever wanted to visit San Diego again, my home and heart is open to you. I hope we stay in touch and maybe some day we will play a round of paintball, decked out in camouflage or flight suit, light up a cig, and cool off with a can of Mountain dew for him!

All my thoughts and prayers,
Yvette Gauna

Victoria Will

I didn't know Lt. Hescock however; I stumbled across the article while looking up an older article regarding a similar incident. I wanted you all to know my heart hurts for you as my eyes streamed with tears over your loss. I looked at pictures posted in the comments and noticed he once worked at HC-11. Depending on when he was there he may have worked with my husband. I felt compelled to reach out to his widow. I myself was widowed in a similar fashion 9 months ago. I want to send my deepest sympathy and support to her. I know it's strange to have strangers offering condolences but I found that having people who truly understand really helps at times. If you could pass this message along tell her anything she needs anytime she can contact me. Again I'm sorry for your loss and grateful to your brother who gave his life for the love of his country...for everyone of us. A great big Thank You to you all for your sacrifice.

Sincerely,
Victoria Will

Jennifer (Holt) Pomerinke, Friend, Church

Hey Shaun -- this Jennifer Pomerinke -- better known to you as Jen Holt

Gosh - there are no words for times like this! I have been in shock ever since Susanna (Dinwiddie) Gangle called and told me about our great loss. I truly am so very sorry -- please give my love to your mom.

I have been thinking back of all the great memories I have you of both of you....like the time Christian insisted there was room for me to ride with you both in your 2 seater Triumph -- he gave me the front seat and jumped in the trunk! You both were so good to me and such as huge part of my "summer" memories in Oregon City.

When I was crying after I heard the "news" -- my little girl came over with a tissue, patting my arm -- telling me "you have to remember your friend died for a good cause Mommy". Thats the truth! I am so proud of Christian's accomplishments and the sacrifice he was willing to make for us! "Critter, we won't forget"!

Ruth, please know I am at a loss for words . . . .I can only imagine!

My love and prayers go out to you all

Jen (Holt) Pomerinke

Diving Pictures of Christian and Ruth

Major & Mrs. Karen Mueller, US Air Force - Neighbors in Guam

Shaun & Ruth & family,
We had the pleasure of being neighbors of Christian and Ruth in Guam. I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Christian was a wonderful person that always had a smile on his face. I remember meeting him when he first moved to Mango Drive. I was out with a few of my kids & Christian had just got his puppy. My kids were so excited to see/meet the dog, that the dog jumped up on Christian causing him to spill his hot cup of coffee on himself. Christian just smiled & laughed.
We enjoyed our time on Guam as their neighbors and seeing their puppy grow; and all the beautiful landscaping they added to the yard. We are glad we had the opportunity to be his neighbor, and we know he's an angel watching over everyone now.
May God bless Ruth and your family.

Major & Mrs. Karen Mueller (Air Force)Bridgette, Mark Jr., Gretchen, Ingrid, & Katarina
Mango Drive neighbors

Chris & Marci Brunett, US Navy

Hi Shaun,

My name is Marci Brunett. I am so sorry to be emailing you under these circumstances, but I could not pass up the chance to tell you and your family how much I thought of your brother, Christian and his wife, Ruth. First, please accept my heart-felt sympathy and know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers every single day.

I am sure you’ve noticed a common thread in many of the posts – Christian’s selfless devotion to others. In that vein, I would like to share a short story about a time in the recent past that Christian impacted my life in a very real way.

My husband, Chris Brunett, was the Commanding Officer of HSC-25 from May 2006 until early August when we departed Guam for his new duty station in VA. During the last 3+ months of our time in Guam, Chris was deployed with the Air Ambulance detachment in Kuwait. Thus, he was not at home in June and July to help me prepare for our move. Now, after nearly 18 years as a Navy spouse, I have quite a bit of experience with moving, but this was the first move I ever had to do on my own.

In April a few days before Chris departed for Kuwait, the Wardroom got together on a Friday afternoon at the club and gave him a nice little send-off. We had a fun time and the party eventually moved to our house for a few more hours. I remember Christian pulling me aside as he was getting ready to leave that night. He said, “Ma’am, before your movers come to start packing your things I want you to call me. I’ll come over and unhook your computers and your other electronic equipment and pack it all up for you because if you don’t do it right then your stuff is going to get messed up.”

I thanked him and didn’t think much about his offer until a day or so before the movers were scheduled to begin packing. By then, Chris had been gone for about 6 weeks and I was knee-deep in preparing the house for the move, arranging the shipment of our car, coordinating settlement on the new house we were buying in VA and taking care of our two children. At that point and being a fairly non-tech-savvy person, figuring out how to unhook and pack up our two computers, stereo system and three televisions seemed like more than I could handle. So I emailed Christian and asked if his offer was still available, which, of course, it was.

The next afternoon on his way home from work, Christian showed up at my house with zip-lock bags, rubber bands, zip ties, a permanent marker and his usual friendly smile. He proceeded to spend at least three hours carefully unhooking all of our computer components and other electronic equipment. He painstakingly packaged and labeled everything. He also used my digital camera to take pictures of all the model/serial numbers just in case something was damaged in the move and I had to file an insurance claim.

Several weeks later, I had a question about how to back-up some files on another computer before shipping it. The very next day he arrived at my house again. That time he spent several more hours burning CDs of some files I didn’t want to lose if the computer was damaged or lost in the move. I specifically remember that he and Ruth had just returned from their trip back to the States a few days before and that Christian was leaving again the following day for some training in San Diego. I kept trying to kick him out of the house, telling him to go home and spend some time with Ruth before his trip the next day, but he would not leave until all the files were copied and all the CDs were labeled.

I cannot begin to tell you how much he helped me on those two occasions and how much I appreciated it. The computer I am using right now to send you this email was one of the ones he helped me with. It was also the computer I was sitting in front of nearly two weeks ago when I first learned of the mishap at HSC-25 and your brother’s untimely death.

So, I just wanted you to know that I am one more person whose life was touched by Christian’s kindness. Although I didn’t know him particularly well, I will always remember his thoughtfulness and generosity during my last few weeks in Guam. Many thanks to you and Ruth and the rest of your family for sharing Christian with all of us. My hope is that you will all take great comfort in the knowledge that your brother, husband and son touched so many lives in such wonderful and caring ways. I pray that the love he has shown to so many will come back to you and give you peace.

Warmly,
Marci Brunett

Justin & Ramona Mangelsdorf - School & Long Time Friends

Shaun and Terryl,
Your family has always been such a source of strength and friendship to ours; I can't begin to express the impact. I am very, very sorry for the loss you have suffered, and know that words ultimately fail to ease the range of emotion I know you are experiencing. Please know that our deepest thoughts and prayers are with you.
My memories of Christian date back to his teen years - and I promise I will never forget his life and the unbelievable impact he had on so many people.

With love,
Justin and Ramona Mangelsdorf

Heather & Brian Edwards, US Navy VP-9

Dear Shaun,
I am so sorry to hear what has happened. Our hearts are deeply saddened with the devastating news. My husband and I were very good friends with both Christian and Ruth. We all attended the University of San Diego together, and then my husband and Christian attended OSC flight school together in Pensacola, FL, and Corpus Christi, TX. We became closest to Christian and Ruth when we had the chance to live next door to each other while in Corpus Christi, TX. Following flight school, my husband chose to become a P-3 pilot while Christian became a helicopter pilot. We were sent to Hawaii (and are currently stationed in Hawaii at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, VP-9) while Christian and Ruth were sent to Guam. I guess it was then that we are sorry to say that we sort of lost touch. We have never forgotten them and always hoped to be stationed near each other again. We had so many good times that we shared while being neighbors. Some of my favorite memories are the ruthless Uno games we'd all play together on many weekend nights, making fools of ourselves playing numerous Cranium games, sharing a meal together at Sonic, going to the scariest "Texan style" of haunted haunted house (which took place on a tractor) that I've ever experienced in my life, watching Christian and Ruth raise their baby lovebird Lou, and sharing many laughs and good stories, as well as important holiday's together such as Thanksgiving. Ruth & Christian were definitely considered to be family to us and will always be. They were a beautiful couple and Christian was an amazing pilot, friend, and husband. We will miss him greatly. Ruth, we love you and miss you and want you to know that you are always welcome in our home and we are thinking about you. We wish there was some way that we could comfort you. We will continue to pray for you all.

God bless you all,

Heather and Brian Edwards

PO3 Jordan Schuster, US Navy 2515th NAAD

Shaun,
I'm yet another member of Det 2, and by now I'm sure you are beginning to see just how big of an impact he had on that detatchment. I remember him for the numerous sit downs he and I had about my career and the path I should take. He has influenced my life both professionally and personally, and his advice will continue to contribute to the decisions I make over the next couple years. I'm sure there are dozens of other people who can make such a statement, and wish we could repay the favor.
My thoughts and prayers go out to you, your family and the hundreds of friends your brother had.
V/R,
Jordan Schuster

ps. I'd like to thank LCDR Nolan for posting the pictures of us in Simeulue. That was one of the most rewarding experiences I could ever hope for.