Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins
Here’s another Medal of Honor prospect.
By Spc. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. PAOCAMP STRIKER, Iraq – A Soldier was memorialized June 7 on Camp Striker, Iraq, and remembered as “a Soldier’s Soldier†for the heroic actions that cost him his life.
Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins, a native of Bozeman, Mont., was on patrol June 1 with his unit, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, N.Y., when he was killed trying to subdue a suicide bomber.
Atkins’ quick action is credited with saving the rest of the squad from certain injury or death. The second man, also a suicide bomber, was shot by another Soldier in the patrol before he could detonate his vest.
Atkins was remembered as an outstanding Soldier who lived up to the Creed of the Non-commissioned Officer, which states that an NCO always places his Soldiers’ needs above his own.
Chaplain (Capt.) Kent Coffey, a native of Mesa, Ariz., who serves as the 2-14th battalion chaplain, spoke of Atkins’ selflessness.
“Instead of sending one of his guys out to make contact, he took it upon himself, unaware of what was to transpire…I know he was a great example because of the immediate reaction of his team after his life was taken as he fought to prevent a suicide bomber from inflicting harm or injuries to his Soldiers.â€
His actions would stand the test of a crucible, Coffey said.
“There will remain a gem, formed in the fires of combat and polished with the selfless spirit of a remarkable man,†said Coffey.
“He exemplified the model quiet professional,†said Co. D Commander Capt. Ben Ruschell, a native of Lexington, Ky. “He was an extraordinary leader who cared deeply about the Soldiers in his platoon and company. His dedication was contagious, and his devotion will be missed.â€
Atkins’ awards and decorations include a Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart Medal, an Army Commendation Medal with an oak leaf cluster, an Army Achievement Medal, an Army Good Conduct Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, an Iraqi Campaign Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, a Non-commissioned Officer’s Professional Development ribbon, an Overseas Service ribbon, an Air Assault badge and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
He is survived by his parents, John and Elaine Atkins of Bozeman, and his son Trevor Oliver of Coon Rapids, Minn.
Atkins and several other U.S. soldiers were on patrol at about 11 a.m. on Friday, when they observed four suspicious Iraqi citizens, according to a U.S. Army incident report. The Iraqis tried to run away, but Atkins caught one of them and took him onto the ground in an effort to restrain him.
The Iraqi man detonated a suicide bomb attached to his vest, killing himself and Atkins, according to the report.
A second Iraqi man then turned toward the other soldiers and began to run at them, drawing fire from the soldiers, the report said. He also detonated a suicide bomb, killing only himself.
No other soldiers were killed in the explosion, said Maj. Garth Scott, the Montana National Guard’s public information officer.
The other two Iraqi men fled the scene.
Atkins attended Bozeman High School and Kemper Military School in Missouri, eventually earning his GED, his parents said. After high school, he worked as a painter, poured concrete and worked in a snowmobile shop.
He enlisted in the Army in November 2000, his parents said.
“When he joined the Army, that’s when he found his niche,” Elaine Atkins said.
He was initially sent to Iraq for 10 months in March 2003, at the start of the war in Iraq.
Following that first stint in Iraq, Atkins left the Army, attended the University of Montana and worked in the building trades, his parents said.
He re-enlisted in December 2005 and was sent back to Iraq last summer.
Atkins had already survived two roadside bombs, so he knew the risks of being in Iraq, his father, a Vietnam War veteran, said.
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memorial service for Staff Sgt Travis Atkins
