Paul Balint Jr. slain by sniper

WILLOW PARK — As his mother baked, Paul Balint Jr. scanned The Soldiers Creed from a chair at the kitchen table.

He quickly pushed it away before reciting the first lines.

I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team.

He stumbled to remember the next sentence. Then, quickly, he’d glance at it again.

I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

Steadily, the words came quicker.

He pronounced them more clearly.

His mother, Cameron Balint, could tell it was something he wanted to do, not something he had to do.

By the time he graduated from basic training, The Soldiers Creed was engraved in his memory.

“That’s what he was all about,” his mother recalled Saturday evening from their Willow Park home. “He was so compassionate, and loyalty meant everything to him.”

Pfc. Paul Balint Jr., 22, died Friday in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, after his unit came under attack during combat operations, the Department of Defense announced Saturday.

Pfc. Balint was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.

Enlisting

He had been in Iraq for three months and been in the Army for a little more than a year, said his father, Paul Balint Sr.

Coming from a military background, Paul Balint Jr. joined the military after his family moved from Virginia to Willow Park, about 20 miles west of Fort Worth in Parker County.

His father, mother and younger brother accompanied him to the Army recruiting station in Weatherford, where he enlisted, Paul Balint Sr. said.

“He wanted to be in the infantry,” his father said. “I asked him what about Iraq, and he said, ‘I wanted to go fight that stuff.’ ”

Strong and happy

Outside of his military service, his family remembered him as a mediator who always wanted to make sure everyone was having a good time.

They recalled his love for hip-hop.

In fact, his family said he had been looking forward to coming home in March so that he could put words and music to the movies that he recorded during his time in Iraq. His parents still hope to see them.

When his parents spoke to him last Sunday, they said he “never sounded so strong and happy.”

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.

“He loved it,” his father said. “That’s what he wanted to do.”

I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.

Prayers for safety

His father said his son sounded Sunday as if he were ready to get back with his buddies. And he asked his family for prayers for safety not just for himself, but for everyone in Iraq.

And his family still respected that trait.

“Don’t remember just him,” his mother told the Star-Telegram. “Remember all the fallen soldiers.”

Pfc. Balint will be buried in Abilene. No plans were immediately available, except for one thing.

“I wanted The Soldiers Creed to be recited,” his mother said.

I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.

I am an American Soldier.

From the Star Telegram