Nathan Given remembered

DICKINSON — Nathan Given joined the Army hoping to find his niche in life. Four months of serving in Iraq convinced the Dickinson resident that, when he returned home, he would become a cop.

Given, 21, was killed Wednesday when his patrol convoy was ambushed outside of Bagh-dad.

“He was just awesome. He was a good, good boy,” said his father, Scott Given. “He loved what he was doing. He thought he was doing a good job. He would tell me, ‘Dad, these people love us over here.’”

Given, a soldier with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, is the fifth Galveston County resident to be killed in the Iraq war.

His father said Nathan was on patrol Wednesday morning when an improvised explosive device went off and gunshots rang out.

Given and his sergeant were killed.

The incident came less than two hours after Nathan had made a surprise call home about 9:30 a.m. Baghdad time. That was 12:30 a.m. back home in Dickinson.

“He sounded great,” his father recalled. “He told me about his day, wanted me to send him a charger for his iPod, send him more socks and something to cover his face because he would get cold. You know, the general stuff.”

But it was after having the opportunity to talk to his mother, Donna, that Nathan made a remark that had his dad doing a double take. “I told him I loved him, and then he says to me, ‘Tell Emery I love him.’”

Emery is Nathan’s 18-year-old brother. Scott Given said it was the first time he had ever heard his oldest son single out his sibling in such a manner.

“It was the first time he ever said it,” Scott Given said. “It was kind of surprising, actually.”

Given said his son’s enlistment came about after a few years of searching for his place in life. After dropping out of Dickinson High School his junior year, Nathan found work at the same chemical plant his dad works for.

But it just wasn’t right for him.

“He was frustrated because he couldn’t find his niche,” Scott Given said.

So, 18 months ago, Nathan enlisted and found himself a part of the 10th Mountain Division. Going the Army route was somewhat of a shock, too, given that Nathan’s dad, grandfather and great-grandfather had all served with the U.S. Navy.

Nathan’s 6-foot, 4-inch frame proved useful for the Army’s needs, which were not altogether to his own liking.

“He would complain to me: ‘Dad, how come you made me so big? They make me carry the big weapons,’” Scott Given said.

That big frame also left a mark at the family home. During a visit home before heading to Iraq, Nathan attempted to hop the fence in the backyard. Instead, he bent the frame.

That bent fence serves as a reminder of the happy-go-lucky guy his dad described as a man who loved cars and kids.

“That boy can tell you anything about cars — four-wheel drive cars, so he could go mudding,” his father said, recalling an outing just before Nathan deployed to Iraq. Nathan got his four-wheel drive truck stuck, and his girlfriend had to pull him out of the mud.

The big kid also had a big heart, especially for kids. Nathan made it a point to join his dad, a Shriner, for toy drives every year.

He also asked his family for extra boxes of candy, which he would hand out to children in Iraq.

“He would have been a great, great father,” Scott Given said, choking back tears. “He was so great with kids.”

From the Daily News

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