From a young age, we knew that Chris was destined to be in the military. As a young boy, he would play with Army soldiers and march around the living room. He would create makeshift guns out of anything he would find and would stalk his mother while she was riding the mower. As he grew older, the more complex video games became, and he excelled in strategy and shooting. Chris joined the Army while a Senior in high school, and earned the expert pistol, expert rifle, and marksman grenade qualification badges during his training at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Chris was chosen to be a gunner on an Abrams tank. The original driver of the tank made everyone seasick, so the tank commander ordered Chris to drive. Chris drove the tank as smooth as silk and was elected by all to be the permanent driver. We thought he would be safer as a driver, but we were wrong. On September 19, 2007, Chris drove over an IED which totaled the tank and killed him. He was only 19 years old.

He is sorely missed by his family and friends. His memory is kept alive by the SPC Christian M. Neff Scholarship Fund at Apollo Career Center, and a six-mile stretch of I-75 is dedicated as the SPC Christian M. Neff Memorial Highway. The Abrams tank he was killed in was built in his hometown of Lima, Ohio, and the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center has dedicated the main gate of the facility as Neff Gate in his honor.

US Army 3rd Infantry Division Fort Stewart, Georgia

January 8, 1988 – September 19, 2007

KIA Baghdad, Iraq