Cory C Kosters

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THE WOODLANDS, TX, USA U.S. Army PFC, COMPANY C, 2D BATTALION, 505TH INFANTRY, FORT BRAGG, NC SAMARRA, IRAQ 03/05/2007

Cory C. Kosters was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed camping and was the ring leader of a throng of neighborhood friends that included his brother Kevin.

Cory and Kevin were partners in crime, said his mother, Senta. They used to play this game they called Castles where they used hammered pennies as currency.

Kosters, 19, of The Woodlands, Texas, was killed March 5 in Samarra when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Bragg.

He was so excited about his duties that he volunteered for every assignment. After a while, his ranking officers had to refuse his offers because of his inexperience, Senta Kosters said.

He knew he would make a good soldier, and I knew he was an excellent soldier, she said, noting that he was dubbed the Ice man by his fellow soldiers because he kept his cool, and he wasn’t afraid during missions.

Kosters let another soldier take his leave so that the man could be home for the birth of his first child. He wouldn’t want that baby growing up never knowing his dad, she said.

Cory also is survived by his father, Marlon.

Cory’s portrait is also located on Poster 3