Killed in Action
IRAQ
PFC PAUL J. BALINT JR., AGE 22
BRONZE STAR
BORN
MAY 8, 1984, DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, ABILENE, TEXASKILLED IN ACTION DECEMBER 15, 2006, RAMADI, IRAQ
ENTOMBMENT AT ELMWOOD MEMORIAL PARK ON DECEMBER 27, 2006, MAUSOLEUM III CRYPT 175
U. S. ARMY, COMPANY B, 1ST PLATOON, 1/26TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, 1ST BRIGADE TEAM, 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION, SCHEWINFURT, GERMANY
PFC Paul Balint, Jr., was Killed in Action when his unit encountered small arms fire during Combat operations. He had been in Iraq for only three months. And in the Army for over one year. He was remembered as an outstanding soldier whose life ended too early.
PFC Paul Balint, Jr. was born at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. He came from a military background and joined the Army after his family moved from Virginia to Willow Park, Texas. He received his diploma in Centerville, Virginia, in 2001. He enlisted in the Army in 2005 to fulfill his dream of being a Combat Infantry Soldier. He was always the life of the party and enjoyed in-line skating, skateboarding, and hip-hop music. He was looking forward to coming home in March to put words and music to the movies he recorded in Iraq.
FROM: www.stripes.com/news/texas-soldier-killed-in-iraq-is-remembered-for-his-laugh-and-love-of-barbecue. “There are three things he is likely to be remembered for: his devotion to family, his ability to make people laugh, and his barbecue. The Schweinfurt community held a memorial service to remember him. A similar ceremony was held in Iraq. Before deploying to Iraq, Balint and the rest of his team would gather for barbecues at Sgt. Paul Able’s place. Able was the team leader. “He would tell me about barbecues that his mom’s side of the family would throw,” Able said during the memorial service in Iraq. “He was so excited when I finally got my gas grill, and when he would get to my house, he would grab a beer and come meat and kick me off my grill and go to town.” “I remembered him cooking over a flame for hours, feeding us his masterpieces, or as he would call it, 'his junk.’ The barbecues were one of the things that helped the young soldiers remind them of home.”
FROM www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/paul-balint-obituary: “SFC Robert Carey, Jr. posted on December 19, 2008. PFC Balint was a great soldier and a huge asset to the platoon. He was always eager to learn his job and other jobs in the platoon. I can remember when we got to Kuwait, and the platoon had an idea to cross-train people on the Bradley; he was the first to jump at the chance to do it. Then we hit the ground in Ramadi and started doing missions, and PFC Balint was so excited to get the chance to do what he joined the Army to do. One night, I asked PFC Balint if he wanted to be a Bradley Gunner for a mission, and the look on his face when I asked him was that of a kid in a candy store. He was an outstanding soldier, and to me, he is missed every day on the 15th of December. I stop and take a moment and think back on that day and how big PFC Balint, Jr. has touched me. Paul, you missed by me so much.”
FROM Willow Park Community News: PFC Paul Balint, Jr., 22, Willow Park, Texas, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment – Killed December 15, 2006, in Ramadi by small arms fire. From a family of proud service members, an Air Force retiree father, an uncle, and a grandfather who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, Balint told his family when he enlisted, “It’s my time.”
Mike Bajema, December 5, 2008. Paul was a great soldier and a man who volunteered to serve his country in a time of war. He did his duty with honor. I will always remember his special sense of humor during our time together in Ramadi, Iraq, as we endured some of the most difficult fighting the Iraqi Theater of Operations has seen. On the morning of December 15, Paul Jr. left the safety of his platoon’s seized compound without question or complaint to conduct a reconnaissance mission of recently abandoned fighting positions. He understood that the mission was dangerous, but realized that the intelligence gathered would save his buddies' lives and aid the mission of defeating the insurgency in the city. Although Paul would not return from this mission, his memory will be synonymous with selfless service, dedication to duty, loyalty, and courage. For Paul Jr., being such a young man, he left a high standard for all of us to live up to.
Paul Abel posted on March 27, 2010:“Hey Balint, it's been a while since I last wrote here. Man, I want to thank you for watching over me while I was in Afghanistan. I was close to being killed this time, but I always felt you there with me, and when I got hit, I knew you were there. So, I just wanted to say thanks, and I really miss you, man. Lost but not forgotten.”John McManus posted on December 7, 2011:“I can’t believe
it’s been almost 5 years. Looking back on it and how young we were to have done
what we did and experienced what we have, both in Germany and in Iraq, blows me
away. I’m proud to say that I knew you and I called you a friend. Not a day
goes by that I don’t think of you and the whole group of people we were with,
and how crazy a period of time that was. There are strong arms around you.”
Anonymous posted on December 5, 2010:“I always think of PFC Balint. I picked him up on the cold Ramadi December night. Our UH-60 crew was so quiet and sad. I’ll never forget.”
“Son, the Yankees lost to Houston for the AL Pennant this year. I’m sure you and Z already knew. Angelo and I now have to suffer watching the Giants lose to the stinkin’ Cowboys. It’s Eli’s last season. You would be really proud of Angelo, as I am. He’s doing great. I miss you so much that I can hardly take it sometimes. I love you, son, Pop. I love you, son. PAUL BALINT SR.”
“I told my old lady about when we went to see Lil John with Hacker in Wurzburg. She and I had some good chuckles. I think about you and your family every day, but I guess I was extra nostalgic today. I’ve got a Christmas card my folks received from the Balint family hanging on my fridge at my house to this day. Love to all. Rest well and never forget; God Bless America. BLUE SPADERS! JOHNNY MCMANUS”
“I had the honor of running for Paul in the Run for the Fallen Watermelon 5K on Saturday, August 17. 2019 in Hempstead, TX. (Names are randomly given to the registrants.) It was an honor to run for our hero. God bless our Gold Star Family. LAVONNE