PFC Cody "CJ" Eggleston ~ Farewell and Walk with God

Pfc. Cody J. Eggleston

Pfc. Cody J. "CJ" Eggleston, 21, of Eugene and Redmond, Oregon, died October 24 at the National in Bethesda, Maryland, of wounds suffered on October 16 in Baqubah, Iraq, when he received indirect mortar fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, where he served as the 2nd gunner in the Stryker Brigade.

PFC Eggleston was born in Eugene, and moved with his family to Redmond when he was 5. He attended school in Redmond, Oregon and then spent his Senior year at North Eugene Alternative High School. He joined the Army right out of school and wanted to be on the front lines 'making a difference.'

Last November, PFC Eggleston struck up an online romance with a woman from North Carolina with a six-year-old daughter. They met in the spring and wed at the Chena Hot Springs Resort near Fairbanks in June. His plan was to move to North Carolina and become a state trooper after completing his military service. His family was touched at the loving and caring man he was and the fatherhood he was embracing. His wife was with him when he died.

The Patriot Guard Riders will be escorting CJ Eggleston from the Redmond airport to the funeral home. The plane will arrive at Redmond Airport at 2:30 pm. The Memorial Service will be held Saturday, Novermber 1, 1 pm, at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds Arena. For further information: http://www.patriotguard.org/Forums/tabid/61/postid/1004535/view/topic/Default.aspx