Clint Upchurch’s Story

At an early age, Clint Upchurch had a personality that compelled him to a life of service. As a young boy, he demonstrated the characteristics of having a tender heart, being a hard worker, and possessing a love for his community and country. Though he grew to be a towering individual, which often worked to his advantage, those who knew him best would describe him as a “teddy bear.”

While serving as a jailer in the Finney County, Kansas Correctional Facility, he discovered his passion for public service. He soon joined the Finney County Sheriff's Department and quickly became part of the DEA Task Force.

During this time he married and instantly became a stepdad to two adolescent boys, a relationship that eventually contributed to his decision to join the Army. When his oldest stepson decided to enlist, Clint accompanied him to the recruitment station to be a support to him. While there, Clint decided to join, also. He had always had a desire to join the military and his 29th birthday (the cut-off age for joining), was just around the corner. Clint quickly gained the respect of his fellow soldiers and ranking officers and was known as the “old man,” but he out-shone most of those in his unit. His impeccable character, hard work, leadership abilities, and drive landed him with the 101st Airborne Division.

A fellow soldier recalled that, during their training, Clint always looked out for the rest of his unit. Following Clint’s death, this same soldier reflected on one of the training exercises that required the soldiers to function while under the influence of tear gas. While the rest of the unit was at the point of giving up, Clint took the can of tear gas, sprayed more of the substance directly into his eyes, and yelled, “You bunch of babies! Stop your crying and let’s do this!” He proceeded to help the others carry out and complete the objectives of the training exercise. He displayed this same mindset on the battlefield in Iraq. His hard-core grit earned him a reputation for being reliable and trustworthy.

While serving in Iraq, Clint was asked to be the gunner in the lead Humvee in a convoy escorting a top general through the dangerous, dusty roads of southern Iraq. During this mission his convoy was ambushed and Clint was killed by enemy gunfire while saving the lives of others. Clint did not know what hit him, on that day in January of 2006, but the loved ones he left behind and the two other soldiers in the vehicle who barely survived will never forget his love for his God, family, and country. Shortly before his untimely death, he wrote to his family back home telling how the encounters in battle took a toll on the physiological welfare of the soldiers, something he experienced firsthand.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s lives for one’s friends.” - John 15:13