Coby Schwab remembered

Funding for the war in Iraq is once again being debated on Capitol Hill, with Democrats and the president squaring off about budgets and troop withdrawal. But for one local family, it's not about politics.

As Denise Rosch explains, they're planning a funeral for a son killed less than a week ago in Iraq.

"He went in to get adventure. He wasn't ready to settle down with school, he wanted to jump out of airplanes, climb mountains," says Staff Sergeant Coby Schwab's mom, Jane Hanson.

They're the dreams 25-year-old Schwab lived. A staff sergeant in the United States Army Reserves, the young man from Nevada found his calling in the military.


Inside their Henderson home, Jane and Coby's step-father, Don, pick out their favorite photos. Coby, they say, went willingly to Iraq, not once, but twice; volunteering for two tours

"When they drove down the road, the people that came out, the kids thanking them saying their praises and loving them because of what they have done for them," Jane explains.

Last Thursday Coby was riding in a convoy when another Humvee tripped a roadside bomb. According to the Army, Schwab volunteered to hook up a tow when a second IED exploded, killing him instantly.


Don Hanson: He had enough rank, he didn't have to do stuff like that.

Denise Rosch: Are you surprised he would've volunteered?

Don Hanson: Not at all. If he knew that was going to go off, he'd still go.

And his friends agree. They've left message after message on Coby's MySpace website. Condolences for a soldier who signed up to protect his buddies.

The Hanson's next step is to bring their son home. They want him buried in the Boulder City Veterans Cemetery, close to family and friends. A mother's only son remembered for his smile, his heart, and his courage to the end.

"The troops and the soldiers I feel very strongly, they're there to protect us, and if we didn't have them over there, we might have them in our own backyard," says Jane. "I feel very strongly we've got to finish this. We went in there, we've got to finish this to honor my son."

The Hansons say it's not their grief they'll focus on, but rather the remarkable young man they were blessed to call son. His mother sums up his attitude towards life. "He would want us to go out and enjoy life to it's fullest, keep going, go forward."

From KVBC 3

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Coby G. Schwab dies of injuries from I.E.D.