Chase Haag remembered by friends, family at school memorial

When adulthood beckoned after graduation from Parkrose High School in 2002, Chase Haag joined the U.S. Army and became a good soldier.

On Friday night, about 300 family members, friends and others from the community joined in a memorial service for him at the school. He was honored for his military service and remembered as a multidimensional person: son and brother, friend and funny guy.

Brandon Haag of Gresham, one of his two brothers, said that as kids Chase was his sidekick and "a brother who was just so good at life."

"He gave his life the only way he thought was right, and nobody can take that away from him," the older brother said.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that Cpl. Haag, 22, of Portland died Sunday in Baghdad when a bomb exploded near his vehicle.

Assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, Haag was the 76th member of the military with ties to Oregon or Southwest Washington to die in Iraq or Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, his rank was upgraded to sergeant.

This week, his teachers at Parkrose talked about his leadership qualities, music interests and fascination with video production, direction and editing.

In a video made by his video teacher, Bob Forrest, and shown during the service, Haag is shown chronicling daily life at Parkrose as a stern-faced news anchor and as a jovial reporter for Parkrose Community Television.

Another Parkrose staff member recalled Haag's good-time persona, calling on a friend of Haag's in the audience to confirm a rumor about a prank late in his senior year.

Yes, the friend said: Haag was among the seniors who shook the school's "Senior Bench" from its foundation and placed it on the school roof.

Such zest for life defined Chase for his younger sister, Ana Haag, of West Linn.

"Chase, he was one of a kind," she said, standing at the podium with her mother, Bonnie Gilkison of Milwaukie, and father, Frank Haag of Portland, behind her.

"If there was ever a standard set, Chase broke it. . . . And if there was ever a bar, he met it and went above and beyond it."

Such was his approach to being a soldier, as conveyed in the last letter he wrote, dated Oct. 1:

"We are happy as our tenure here is coming to an end, but we are dog tired, exhausted and ready to get out of here. Thank you for thinking of us, and we are doing good things."

A candlelighting ceremony around the Parkrose High flagpole followed the memorial service in the school's performing arts center. As many small flames glowed in the darkness, the flag was slowly lowered to half-staff.

Chase also is survived by older brother Marine Cpl. Taylor Haag, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. A family member said Taylor Haag was on his way from Guam to join the family.

Haag's body arrived Thursday at Dover Air Base, Del. Funeral arrangements are pending.

From the Oregonian

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