Civilian loses cancer fight

By CRYSTAL LEWIS BROWNApril 30, 2009

Members of the Fort Jackson community said goodbye Tuesday to a DA civilian and Army Reserve Soldier.

Robert Christmon, who served as a civilian battalion supply technician for 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, succumbed to colon cancer April 22 after a three-year battle. He was 54 years old.

"He worked with us a little over a year," said Staff Sgt. Jamila Callwood, the battalion S-4 noncommissioned officer-in-charge. "He was a really good employee."

Christmon handled maintenance requests and did not meet a task he could not handle, Callwood said.

"You'd tell him something was wrong and he'd jump right on it," she said. "He was a hard worker."

Besides working as a DA civilian, Christmon was a staff sergeant in the Army Reserves and was assigned to Columbia's 3rd Battalion, 321st Regiment. There, he was a jack of all trades, said Sgt. 1st Class Willie Briggs, senior operations NCO.

Although he served in Columbia as an instructor in the Chaplain's Basic Officer Leadership Course, early on in his 19-year military career he was an Army guitarist.

"He held several positions in the Army Reserve," Briggs said. "He was a good guy. He was on point. He was all about helping -- he was a team player."

Callwood added, "He will be missed."

Christmon was buried Tuesday at the Fort Jackson National Cemetery. He is survived by his wife and seven children.